Kaz Prapuolenis, an American animator and comic creator of Lithuanian roots, is visiting the BLON animation and video game festival held in Klaipėda this year. His visit also has a personal significance – when asked what he looks forward to most about coming to the festival, Kaz mentioned the opportunity to “meet artists, have a good time, and see the city where my mother was born.”
Kaz’s First Mural
Until now, Kaz had not created a wall drawing, so the project implemented in Klaipėda is the first such work in his creative biography. According to the artist, the initial impulse was the invitation itself to try a new format.
“I was asked to create a wall drawing. It may sound a bit funny, but just being asked already inspires. I wanted to create a drawing that would reflect what my mind and hand like to draw when I can do absolutely anything,” Kaz says.
The work also contains references to the artist’s creative path: a pencil, a brush, a simple SpongeBob. “It reflects the wild side of me as a comic creator. It is a world of imagination and fun,” Kaz says.
The original drawing by Kaz was transferred into a large-format work by interdisciplinary artist and illustrator Pijus Čeikauskas-Pidžin. The artwork found a new place in the city on the wall of one of the “Memelio miestas” buildings, and “Bokštelis.lt” provided the necessary equipment for working at height.
Kaz’s work continues the BLON festival tradition of leaving creative marks by festival guests in Klaipėda. The city already features a drawing by illustrator Viktorija Ežiuk on the wall of “Herkus Kantas,” and last year, Australian and Canadian illustrator and animation director Nathan Jurevicius decorated the wall of the “Bohema” hotel during his visit to Klaipėda.
This year, Kaz Prapuolenis’s work adds to this BLON open-air art gallery.
“It is very symbolic to me that this special work now adorns exactly ‘Memelio miestas.’ Today we are becoming a new attraction center of Klaipėda – a modern, yet lively neighborhood where people want to be, meet, experience, and create. Therefore, Kaz Prapuolenis’s fresco appeared here very timely and in the right place,” says Inga Gusiatina, Chairwoman of the Board of UAB “Stemma Group,” which develops “Memelio miestas.”
According to her, the work is more than just a new building detail. “I believe that such artworks, like the BLON animation and video game festival itself, contribute to creating a new, open, and dynamic – the future face of Klaipėda. And this very well reflects the mission of ‘Memelio miestas’ as well.”
A Gift to the City That Everyone Can Discover
Public art is interesting to Kaz because it can be encountered quite unexpectedly. “I like that it is a pleasant surprise and a kind of reward for walking around the city,” the artist says. When asked what he would like people to feel when they see his work, Kaz answers with two words: “Beguiling delight.”
The possibility to discover the work without any barriers is also emphasized by I. Gusiatina, inviting Klaipėda residents and city guests to see it live.
“It’s good to know that this is not only a work created during the festival but also Kaz’s gift to every Klaipėda resident or city guest. After all, street art is meant for everyone and anyone, and you don’t need to buy a ticket to see it,” says I. Gusiatina.
According to her, although this is only the second, she hopes it will not be the last public artwork in this neighborhood. “We are developing a five-hectare area, we have enough space, so we are open to other artists’ ideas,” invites one of the initiators of “Memelio miestas” to jointly create a new face of Klaipėda.
The work left in Klaipėda also continues Kaz’s personal connection with Lithuania – the country where his parents were born.
Read more ESO Board Resigns
