THE ŽALGIRIS BATTLE PROJECT
The Rooster Gallery, in partnership with the Radvila Palace Museum of Art, a branch of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, is delighted to announce the opening of The Žalgiris Battle Project, a one-piece exhibition by emerging painter Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas.
The opening event will take place on Thursday, February 6, at 6 p.m. at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art (Vilniaus St. 24, Vilnius). The exhibition will be on view until March 2.
The Battle of Žalgiris (Grunwald), along with its iconic depiction in Jan Matejko’s monumental painting (1878), has become a symbol of national pride, inspiring numerous cultural and social phenomena (a notable example from daily life is the naming of sports teams after Žalgiris). Over the years, Lithuanian artists have revisited this historic event, including Šarūnas Sauka’s 1987 interpretation and Ugnius Gelguda’s 2006 audiovisual installation. Today’s geopolitical tensions bring new challenges – or perhaps a pervasive sense of fear and anxiety. In such times, the longing for Žalgiris resurfaces naturally. Over the past few years, amidst unrest beyond our borders, the artist feels compelled to reinterpret the Battle of Žalgiris and retell it through the lens of the present.
Brazdžiūnas’s reimagining of the Battle of Žalgiris draws inspiration from the mythology surrounding the historic event, its artistic interpretations, and contemporary political issues. The painting equals the exact dimensions of Jan Matejko’s work (426 × 987 cm), resulting in a monumental and expressive screen-like composition, inviting the viewer’s gaze to wander, become immersed, and rediscover narrative threads.
Using post-production as a creative strategy, the artist reinterprets the Battle of Žalgiris on an impressively large canvas. The narrative is constructed from images of street battles generated using artificial intelligence. The colour green – evoking Žalgiris (žalias means green in Lithuanian), green screens in filmmaking, and the natural world – emerges as a central motif. This work not only operates as a network of cultural, historical, political, and social references, inviting diverse connections and interpretations, but also reflects on the transformed culture of imagery – its (over)production, consumption, and assessment. It aspires to function simultaneously as a monument to a historic event, an homage to Jan Matejko’s prototype, and a testimony of the complex, multifaceted identity of the modern individual.
The project’s visual component is enriched by an audio-musical element – a vinyl record dedicated to Žalgiris, featuring contemporary electronic music from Lithuania and Poland. Musical interpretations of Žalgiris have been composed for the project by Dzuma (PL), Porosty (PL), Çâline with C (LT), Patricia Kokett (LT), Eivydas K (LT), Circus Operandi (LT), Tadan (LT), and Chicago Bullies (PL). This cultural collaboration not only symbolically reinforces the idea of unity and togetherness but also extends the project’s resonance to club music enthusiasts.
Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas (b. 1991) is a rising talent in contemporary painting. He earned his master’s degree in painting from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2018 and has been actively participating in group exhibitions since 2016, with solo shows in various Lithuanian cities. His work has been featured in international contemporary art fairs such as Enter, TAF, and ArtVilnius, as well as in other contemporary art projects. In 2018, Brazdžiūnas founded Kontr-argumentas, a platform for young painters. Alongside his artistic practice, he curates exhibitions of contemporary painting and contributes art criticism to the cultural press. His works have been named among the top three finalists of the Young Painter Prize competition. His pieces are now part of the collections of the MO Museum and the Noewe Foundation.
The exhibition is open during the working hours of the Radvila Palace Museum of Art.
Project organizer: The Rooster Gallery
Project partner: Radvila Palace Museum of Art
Project funded by: Lithuanian Council for Culture
Project sponsors: Darnu Group, Vilnius Business Park, Color Shop, Vilius Tamošaitis, Dramblio Ausys, Vilnius City Municipality
Text by: Justina Augustytė, Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas
Translator Aušra Simanavičiūtė
Graphic designer: Ringailė Demšytė
Video: Edvardas Volginas
Sound: Dj Dzuma