Painterly and Musical Reinterpretations of the Battle of Žalgiris by Emerging Artist Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas
Exhibition opening at 6 pm on Thursday, 6 February, 2025
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. This exhibition offers a contemporary perspective on the historic Battle of Žalgiris (also known as the Battle of Grunwald), reinterpreting it as a powerful symbol of social and international unity in the context of today’s geopolitical tension.
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, 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, I feel compelled to reinterpret the Battle of Žalgiris and retell it through the lens of the present,” Brazdžiūnas explains.
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 growing interest from international curators underscores Brazdžiūnas’s rapid career trajectory, and The Žalgiris Battle Project represents a particularly intense and prolific period for the artist.
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.
The Rooster Gallery collaborated with real estate development company Darnu Group to bring this project to life, using the under-construction Vilnius Business Park as a temporary workspace. This partnership helped to address a significant logistical challenge: finding a suitable location for a monumental artwork of this scale. The massive canvas required a 6 × 12 m wall, ample natural light, sufficient viewing distance, and a truck-friendly opening and ramp. The production of the canvas itself was an equally complex undertaking. According to project coordinator Milda Bitinaitė, extensive research and consultations with canvas and stretcher manufacturers across Lithuania, Switzerland, and Great Britain were necessary to identify the optimal materials and techniques for creating a work of this size. A fitting exhibition space for the piece was secured in the recently renovated southern wing of the Radvila Palace Museum of Art, part of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. This hall not only accommodates the work physically but also connects ideologically with the adjacent exhibition of Western European old masters. Brazdžiūnas’s work extends and reinterprets the classical figurative painting traditions that are significant to him, presenting them in new formats and shapes.
Jurgita Juospaitytė-Bitinienė, founder of The Rooster Gallery, emphasizes: “Collaborating with a national-level institution dedicated to art dissemination not only guarantees the project’s high quality but also significantly contributes to advancing the career of the emerging artist. It also highlights the significance of intersectoral and inter-institutional cooperation in sustaining the vitality of the country’s visual arts field.”
The Rooster Gallery, established in 2008, focuses exclusively on emerging artists and has been dedicated to promoting contemporary art, with a particular emphasis on painting. The gallery actively seeks out the most promising creators, organizes exhibitions both in Lithuania and internationally, participates in international art fairs, and engages in educational initiatives.
Organiser: The Rooster Gallery
Partner: The Radvila Palace Museum of Art of the LNMA
Project Manager: Jurgita Juospaitytė-Bitinienė
Project Coordinator: Milda Bitinaitė
Graphic Designer: Ringailė Demšytė
Translator: Aušra Simanavičiūtė
Music by: Dzuma (PL), Porosty (PL), Çâline with C (LT), Patricia Kokett (LT), Eivydas K (LT), Circus Operandi (LT), Tadan (LT), Chicago Bullies (PL)
Sponsors: Darnu Group, Vilnius Business Park, Color Shop, Vilius Tamošaitis, Dramblio ausys, Vilnius City Municipality
Project financed by
Radvila Palace Museum of Art,
24 Vilniaus st, LT-01402, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370 5 250 5824
