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17-27 November, 2009. European Commission Representation in London, Lithuanian Embassy in London and the Lithuanian Photographers' Union present works by two young (both born in 1977), award winning Lithuanian photographers, Vidas Biveinis and Ugnius Gelguda. Their backgrounds signify the divide between the city and the country; the two constant polarities of the Lithuanian cultural landscape. Opening of the exhibition on 16 November, from 6.30 to 8.30 pm (no invitation needed). Ugnius Gelguda. From series "Gravitation"

Traditionally, the countryside was seen as the source of ‘true’ national identity while cities were regarded as centres of trade and inter-cultural exchange. For a long time, the countryside was the place where most creative people had come from, thus it was venerated in their novels, films, paintings or photographs with a tinge of nostalgia. Now the city has brought up at least two generations of artists and has also become the subject of their reflections. Both photographers offer a take on this duality from the point of view of the young generation.

Vidas Biveinis. From series "Fears"

Vidas Biveinis comes from a part of Lithuania covered with forests and lakes, and so it seems no coincidence that water is the most important element in his photographs. In his series Fears (2006), water is the substance of emotions and unconscious drives because its texture blurs outlines, distorts bodies and slows time. The photographer is positioned inside the lake, thus the line marking its surface divides not just land and air from water, but also factual reality from the vague and uncanny mental space. Yet the other two series, 6th Day (2005) and 7th Day (2006), show the countryside as the space of freedom and a simple joy of being, a complete abandonment of culture for the sake of physical perceptions. His photographs of people captured in mid-air are not just about flying, but also about overcoming the gravity of our past experiences in search of the full realisation of the self.

Ugnius Gelguda. From series "Gravitation"

Meanwhile, Ugnius Gelguda is based in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. With his series Gravitation (2007), he goes ‘underground’, to the chaos of hot night clubs or a kind of ‘unconscious’ of the city. Yet we will not see the flamboyant atmosphere of the clubs in his photographs; Gelguda’s camera has focused on faces – flashed out of darkness, stopped and frozen into sculptures of emotion. Emotions here are extremely intensive, but they have no purpose, no obvious reason, thus escaping the reality of cause and effect and leading to an uncertain territory. This changes how we perceive these vibrant crowds: without clear signs of reference they can be placed anywhere, and their excessive expressions threaten to become universal, to invade other areas of everyday life.

Although representing opposing cultural identities, both photographers focus on detachment, the sense of freedom available in any background or environment. In their hands, photography helps to imagine the physical and the mental flight as two ways of defying gravitation.

Opening of the exhibition on 16 November, from 6.30 to 8.30 pm (no invitation needed).

17-27 November, 12 Star Gallery, European Commission Representation in the UK, 8 Storey's Gate, London SW1P 3AT. Open from 10 am to 6 pm.  Free entrance.