Image above: Autumn grouping featuring (left to right): Stumbras (Bison), Kurtinys (Woodgrouse); Barsukas (Badger); Rudens Žvirblis (Autumn Sparrow); Šernas (Boar); and Lokis (Bear). Photographed by Andrius Lipšys. Artwork details at bottom of post.
Jazmina Cininas has been interviewed by ArtsHub for the article ‘Changing the direction of your arts practice – when, why and how?’, published online August 2023.
“ArtsHub speaks with three artists at different stages of their careers,” ArtsHub writer Celina Lei begins, “about what it means to change the direction of an arts practice, whether a distinct style still matters and practical tips on the transition.
“Jazmina Cininas is most widely known for her printmaking practice focusing on the female werewolf… Recently and unbeknown to many, Cininas has shifted gears towards performance and sculptural installations… out of an engagement with a Lithuanian folk singing group, which manifested into a collaborative work using lagerphones from Cininas’ own collection.
“‘The lagerphones acknowledge the Australian side of our cultural heritage and, because I’m such a hoarder, I happened to have a whole bunch lying around. I quite enjoyed the process of making something relatively quickly and non-precious, but then I started thinking about the motifs of the songs and how the lagerphones could start to work as visual props,’ explains Cininas.”
Artwork details from top image (left to right):
Stumbras (Bison) lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 181 x 43 x 43 cm (approx.).
Kurtinys (Woodgrouse) Guiro lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 137 x 42 x 43 cm (approx.).
Barsukas (Badger) lagerphone and stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 155 x 37 x 37 cm (approx.).
Rudens Žvirblis (Autumn Sparrow) whistle-lagerphone and stand 2022 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, whistle, nails, rubber stopper 134 x 40 x 36 cm (approx.).
Šernas (Boar) lagerphone and stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 164.5 x 33 x 30 cm (approx.).
Lokis (Bear) lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, wire, rubber stopper 162 x 30 x 30 cm (approx.).
Image above: Autumn grouping featuring (left to right): Stumbras (Bison), Kurtinys (Woodgrouse); Barsukas (Badger); Rudens Žvirblis (Autumn Sparrow); Šernas (Boar); and Lokis (Bear). Photographed by Andrius Lipšys. Artwork details at bottom of post.
Jazmina Cininas will be showing several of her lagerphones in the upcoming solo exhibition The Sparrow and the Iron Wolf at Laneway Gallery, Albury Library Museum.
Artist Jazmina Cininas takes audiences on a visual, auditory, and poetic reimagining of Lithuanian traditions and Baltic folklore. Through a diverse range of mediums, this exhibition offers an autoethnographic exploration of Jazmina’s Australian-Lithuanian cultural identity with a focus on environmentally sustainable art practices.
Lapė (Fox) lagerphone (2013) with stand (2020) salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 131 x 28 x 28 cm. Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
As a member of Melbourne-Lithuanian folk ensemble The Lost Clog, Jazmina creates striking percussive instruments from recycled materials. These intricate lagerphones, in the shapes of Lithuanian animals, are brought to life through performances which draw on universal themes of harvest, war, love, and loss.
Ožys (Goat) lagerphone (2014) with stand (2019) salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 166 x 31 x 31 cm (approx.). Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
Also included in the exhibition are Jazmina’s handbound books from print ephemera that explore Baltic mythology, migration and the natural world, alongside a suite of photographs that explore Lithuanian-Australian otherness through the figure of the female werewolf.
The Stars Woo Salme to the Clouds with the Language of Birds 2018 artist book with inlaid cover and belly band collage from vintage Estonian reference books, used business envelopes and cut outs 20.5 x 81 x 11 cm (open). Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
Stoat 2018 (Karp) artist book from repurposed vintage Estonian book cover, collage and cut outs 21.8 x 13.2 x 1.5 cm (closed). Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
The Sparrow and the Iron Wolf offers a celebration of a minority culture that spearheaded the first wave of post-war immigration and showcases the contribution of immigrant and refugee populations to Australia’s cultural fabric.
Vilkas (Wolf) lagerphone (2013) and stand (2021) salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 143 x 42 x 41 cm. Museums Victoria collection. Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
Cininas’s lagerphone Vilkas (Wolf) was also recently acquired by Museums Victoria. Watch curator Moya McFadzean and Jazmina Cininas discuss her work, with cameos by the Lost Clog.
Jazmina Cininas: The Sparrow and the Iron Wolf
Laneway Gallery, Albury Library Museum
19 November 2022 – 19 February 2023
Artwork details from top image (left to right):
Stumbras (Bison) lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 181 x 43 x 43 cm (approx.).
Kurtinys (Woodgrouse) Guiro lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 137 x 42 x 43 cm (approx.).
Barsukas (Badger) lagerphone and stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 155 x 37 x 37 cm (approx.).
Rudens Žvirblis (Autumn Sparrow) whistle-lagerphone and stand 2022 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, whistle, nails, rubber stopper 134 x 40 x 36 cm (approx.).
Šernas (Boar) lagerphone and stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 164.5 x 33 x 30 cm (approx.).
Lokis (Bear) lagerphone with stand 2021 salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, wire, rubber stopper 162 x 30 x 30 cm (approx.).
Image above: Jazmina Cininas Vilkas (Wolf) lagerphone (2013) and stand (2021) salvaged timber, used bottle caps, nails, rubber stopper 143 x 42 x 41 cm. Museums Victoria collection. Photographed by Andrius Lipšys.
Jazmina Cininas‘s lagerphone sculpture Vilkas (Wolf) has been acquired by Museums Victoria.
The acquisition follows on from Cininas’s recent exhibition at Counihan Gallery in Brunswick, ‘The Sparrow Made Some Beer’, an immersive, cross-cultural installation of lagerphones crafted in the shape of Lithuanian animals. Lagerphones are a quintessential mainstay of the Australian bush band and are traditionally created from beer caps hammered to an old broom stick.
This exhibition sought to celebrate a minority culture that spearheaded the first wave of post-war immigration, and recognises the contribution of immigrant and refugee populations to Australia’s cultural fabric.
On her website, Cininas states: “I am delighted and honoured to announce that my grey wolf lagerphone has taken up permanent residence in the Museums Victoria collection! A huge thank you to curator Moya McFadzean for coming along to The Sparrow Made Some Beer and setting the wheels in motion to preserve this jingling canine for posterity. Long live the lupine Lithuanian-Australian lagerphone!”
Follow this link to watch Dr Moya McFadzean, Senior Curator of Migration and Cultural Diversity, talk about the acquisition of the wolf lagerphone to the collection.
To read more about and view a selection of available works by Jazmina Cininas, click here