Meeting with June residents – Haha Wang and Merkys Žebrauskas

June 29, 4 – 8 p.m. we invite you to meet Haha Wang and Merkys Žebrauskas, the art residents of “Verpejos” for the month of June.♣

The “Verpejos” art residency is located in a traditional homestead in the village of Kabeliai in the Varėna district. In June, two artists who were invited by a competition – Haha Wang ir ir Merkys Žebrauskas – became the hostesses of the homestead. The artists will share their creative ideas, unique creative fellowship and authentic local experience in herding and caring for a herd of skudde sheep.

Haha Wang would like to share her experience and inspirations of shepherding from a sculptural way. As well as practices of her work during the residency which is related to domestic animals, habitat and garden. Merkys Žebrauskas will invite you to see his new work “Earth laboratory: stop 1” placed in the garden of the “Verpejos” art residency.

M. Žebrauskas: “Earth laboratory – a space where experimental methodology is applied, aiming to bring natural processes closer to man, or enabling conscious human invasion.

“Stop 1” – in the “Verpejos” art residency, a work made of Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) mycelium, visually similar to an igloo house. This is my invasion of the yard of the “Verejosj” homestead, creating the first stop of the earth laboratory. The piece obliges and at the same time allows me to return and observe the ever-growing object, which may acquire the function of a home, sauna or other space.”

“Verpėjos’ creative pastures” intended to focus on the slow process of artistic research and the long-term value for the creators and audience participating in it. In close communion with animals and nature, we invite the creators to rethink the relationship between contemporary humans and the environment in the epoch of the Anthropocene.

Haha Wang (b. 1993, China) is an artist based in Munich, Germany. In her works, the intimate feelings of humans and animals are conveyed and transformed by unexpected objects or events. She specializes in creating and mingling spaces to expose how daily and technical objects shape the styles and forms of life.

Merkys Žebrauskas (b. 1999, Lithuania) is an artist working with bio and earth art. His main focus is the symbiosis between human and nature, which the artist achieves by observing and exploring the relationships between other living organisms. In order to find different methods of communication with other life forms in his creative practice, he changes the human role in the mutual ecosystem.

Venue: Kabeliu st. 7, Kabeliai village, Varėna district.

Date: 29.06.2024

Time: 4 – 8 p.m.

Organized by: VšĮ “Verpėjos”

Supported by: Lithuanian Cultural Council

Cover image – Haha Wang