The Žalgiris Battle Project by Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas
6 February – 2 March 2025
The Battle of Žalgiris (Grunwald), along with its iconic depiction in Polish artist Jan Matejko’s monumental painting (1878), has become a symbol of national pride, inspiring numerous cultural and social phenomena 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, while observing the unrest beyond our borders, Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas, a painter of younger generation, revisits the Battle of Žalgiris and retells it in the the present time.
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. 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.
Exhibited in the historic hall of the Radvila Palace Museum of Art, the painting connects 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.
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.
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
