Beatričė Mockevičiūtė. Exhibition “Running Eyes”

Perhaps this feeling is reminiscent of the moment when, in bright light, we touch our closed eyelids. Soft circles of light scattered by our fingertips, together with a rhythmic flickering, seem to echo the surface of the earth beneath the water.

In Running Eyes, artist Beatričė Mockevičiūtė brings together early and contemporary experiences of light and vision. According to the artist, water reflecting the sky may be considered one of the earliest optical instruments in world history. Even today, light waves continue to convey information about distant objects and events. In the video work Sea Ears, created for this exhibition, the artist examines the worn surfaces of shells and their reflections. Shells have changed relatively little over the course of evolution, and their forms can be found in art of different periods. In this work, the image is shaped by the continuous movement of an LED light source and the hands holding it. This slowed-down movement, normally too subtle to notice, invites us to observe changes in the projection of light and its constantly shifting effect on our vision.

The artist was particularly interested in the museum space designed by optical artist and collector Kazys Varnelis. Its layout seems to recall the earliest instruments used to measure floods: nilometers, stepped wells used to measure changes in water levels. Inspired by this image, the artist has integrated several works from the exhibition into the museum’s permanent collection. The works create new connections with the existing display and invite us to consider how vision changes our perception of time and materiality.

During the exhibition, several listening sessions of sound artist Alanas Gurinas’s work Noon will take place in Kazys Varnelis’s studio. The artist explores the relationship between sound, time, space and the human body, thus expanding the narrative of the exhibition. Performance dates will be announced in advance on the museum’s website and social media channels.

The exhibition will open at the Kazys Varnelis House-Museum on 14th October 2026 at 6 PM and run until 11th April 2027.

Organizer
National Museum of Lithuania

Partner
Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Museum of Zoology

Media partner
JCDecaux Lietuva