Artists Talks: Lina Albrikiene, Olson Lamaj

Organized by Marina Grzinic, Post Conceptual Study Program (IBK). The presentations are possible thanks to the Artists-in-Residence program of the Austrian Federal Chancellery and KulturKontakt Austria.

Lina Albrikiene (Lithuania)

Title: Exploring Individual and Collective Memory

Lina Albrikiene is going to present her video and installation works by exploring personal and collective memory.

CV: Lina Albrikiene (b. 1984) is artist based in Vilnius (LT). From 2002?2009 she was studying photography and media art at the Art Academy of Vilnius. During her studies she started working on memory issues that influenced her conceptual approach toward video, installation and photography. In 2011 Albrikiene got the Ministry of Culture Grand Prize for the young artist debut. The same year the artist was announced as the Grand Prize Winner at the ?Young European Creators? biennial? (Paris). At the moment Lina Albrikiene lives in Vienna doing her artist in residence program at Kultur Kontakt Austria.

Olson Lamaj (Albania)

Title: How Stars are Born?

Olson Lamaj will present some of his works that investi­gate social and political issues related both to contemporary life in Albania and to more universal questions in the region. The coming from an ex-communist country has influenced his work that deals with political aspect of everyday life. In small and isolated countries the nationalistic debate has a big impact not only on life but even in shaping the landscape of the city. Lamaj will try to present the impact of political power in building new monuments or dealing with the past communist heritage.

CV: Olson Lamaj (b. 1985) is an Albanian artist living and working in Tirana. His work investi­gates social and political issues related both to contemporary life in Albania and to more universal and timeless systems of meaning extending beyond immediate conditions. As one of the co-founders of MIZA Gallery in Tirana, Lamaj?s own experience as an artist has been related to the establishment of artistic spaces and institutions in Tirana. Lamaj?s projects emphasize the semiotic oversaturation – and the myste­rious, almost mystical qualities – of objects and images related to political ideologies of various kinds. His artworks function as a collective mythography of the present, laying the groundwork for the projection and cre­ation of new myths.