PORYC VALGYC DYRBC VALGYC. Exhibition Opening and Publication Launch

On April 18 at 1:00 p.m., the group exhibition “PORYC VALGYC DYRBC VALGYC” will open at the Marcinkonys Station Gallery (Kastinio St. 1C, Marcinkonys).

Last spring, seven creators from different fields came to the region to explore the local culinary heritage. The researchers visited 15 local residents in the villages and towns of Dzūkija. The artists’ creative inspiration was fueled by their close connection with Dzūkija: helping with farm work, shared tastings, baking bread together, and preparing meals. Through conversations in this shared space, evolving traditions were revealed, the culinary heritage was documented, and this became the central axis of their creative work.
The insights from the research take shape in the exhibition through photographs, drawings, installations, tastes, and stories. The exhibition will also feature a hand-bound research publication printed using the “Hands on Press” risography technique, which will be available for purchase during the event.
After the presentation, the authors will settle in at a table where a live process will take place: publications will be bound, work will be done, and, of course, food will be shared.

Exhibition authors and publication creators:

Ugnė Venckė graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a degree in product design, after which she traveled for three years. From her travels, she brings back a sense of fragility, an appreciation for the value of transience, and a more open perspective on the world. Since 2016, she has been part of the creative design studio Less Table, where, drawing on experience, knowledge of nature and traditions, and a contemporary interpretation of them, she creates dining installations. She is currently exploring how to incorporate increasingly forgotten daily meditative manual labor into her daily life and creative work; the connections between people, food, farms, and the earth. She is a member of the team at the independent art initiative “Verpėjos.” She is involved in curatorial work and leading creative workshops.

Gabrielė Gudaitytė is an illustrator, graphic artist, and printer. Since 2013, she has been publishing self-published books, illustrating, and collaborating with various cultural initiatives. She spends most of her time engaged in various creative processes at the analog printing and self-publishing studio “Hands on Press,” where she prints publications of various formats using risography, organizes residency and exhibition programs, and enjoys experimenting with unconventional printing methods. In her illustrations, she focuses on everyday life and the meanings hidden within it.

Monika Jagusinskytė is an artist living and working in Vilnius. Using photography, text, and video media, the artist captures the human body in everyday life, its constant transformation in relation to the environment. The compositions she creates are like moments of weightlessness, where the boundary between reality and dream, beauty and decay, is blurred. In 2021, M. Jagusinskytė earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion and Technology from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI). These studies had a significant influence on her subsequent creative work. The connection between fashion and art is reflected in the designer’s choices of details, materials, and textures, where garments and accessories create not only an aesthetic but also a symbolic, historical narrative. Monika’s work is also shaped by themes of care and domestic comfort, often drawing on Lithuanian food and folklore as forms of collective memory.

Justė Margarita earned a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Graphic Arts at the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2009. In 2013, she became a member of the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Union. In 2025, she earned a master’s degree in social anthropology from Vytautas Magnus University. Justė Margarita has participated in and curated various group exhibitions and workshops, has held solo exhibitions, and has independently published three collections of photographs and texts. The book Tilto Namų Žaidimas (The Bridge House Game), which was presented as a performance at the Vilnius Book Fair in 2022, received awards at two international photography festivals—a silver award at the Budapest International Foto Awards and a special mention at the Int’l Photography Awards. Justė Margarita’s work and writing are grounded in an anthropological perspective on everyday life—she explores how invisible layers, such as memory, food, environment, and history, influence human relationships, identity, and coexistence.

Milda Urbšytė is interested in the rural landscape and its changes over time. In her artistic practice, she uses drawing, painting, ceramics, and text. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts and a master’s degree in anthropology, Milda employs research methods and theories of contemporary anthropology in her search for a sensitive visual expression of experience.

Morta Narkauskaitė is an artist born in Elektrėnai and currently living in Vilnius. She studied acting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and now works primarily in the field of analog photography. In her work, Morta explores themes of mythology, magic, and memory, often expressed through the body and its relationship with nature.

Laura Garbštienė is an interdisciplinary artist and the founder and curator of the artists’ initiative “Verpėjos.” She earned her Master’s degree in Textiles from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2000. The artist’s work features institutional criticism laced with humor, the exploration of ecological themes, and a critical perspective on consumerism. In 2024, she was awarded the highest honor from the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture—the Medal of Honor “Carry Your Light and Believe.” Garbštienė’s works are included in various collections both in Lithuania and abroad.

Project Team:
Curator: Ugnė Venckė
Designer: Gabrielė Gudaitytė
Language Editor: Asta Žūkaitė
Printing House: Hands on Press
Project Manager: Laura Garbštienė
Communications Coordinator: Milda Urbšytė
Photographers: Monika Jagusinskytė and Morta Narkauskaitė
Text Author: Justė Margarita

The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

The project is organized by Verpėjos

Project partners:
SODAS 2123, Artnews.lt, Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Union, Varėna Municipality Public Library, Varėna Third Age University, Priespauda, Baltic Environmental Forum, Dzūkija National Park and Čepkeliai State Nature Reserve Directorate.

Exhibition opening: April 18 at 1:00 p.m.
The exhibition runs from April 18 to May 10, 2026.
The exhibition can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by prior arrangement by calling 061416255
Address: Marcinkonys Station Gallery, Kastinio St. 1C, Marcinkonys.