2015, March 25
Author: Monika Požerskytė
Photography project “Post Circle” portrays endangered circus tradition in Lithuania. In my project “POST CIRCLE” I seek to expose the photographed individual not only through their own appearance, posture and gestures but also through their living environment, domestic work and without interrupting their natural ways of living, to capture the customary circus people movement, in photographic shots to perpetuate distinctive, emotionally attractive psychological portraits.
“POST CIRCLE idea came to life after visiting Azuolynas bears’ circus while in Lithuania during their seasonal tour. The biggest impression was not the performance numbers but the existance of material and spiritual poverty felt in the territory of the circus. It could also be felt in the decoration of the circus arena, the collective jobs of the families and the nomads life style that is so unfamiliar to the viewers/spectators.” In 2014 spring I made contact with the artists of this circus and I captured the first POST CIRCUS photographs, in which – you can see the culture of the rare profession and socialization. The project also continued this year.
Circus is not a profitable entertainment nowadays but rather a combination of philosophical, aesthetic, artistic ideas and tendencies, in which you can still feel full of dramatism, pathos, history, folklore, unique culture, transcendental phenomenon though inherent existence is utmost importance . To notice the distinctive ways of circus takes a certain disposition. It is more important today to tell something topical and original and not only express yourself as an artist. For these reasons alone circus as a contemporary art form is superseded by other cultural processes.