During the lang decades of Soviet occupation, sexuality-related content and discussion were widely censored from the public. According to a famous catchphrase, there was no sex in the USSR. We ask why was sex so suppressed and what kind of love was allowed? How different are the region's public notions of intimacy, gender, love and sexuality today? „We Don't Do This. lntirnacy, Norrns and Fantasies in Baltic Art“ will explore the shifts and changes in representations of gender, family and sexuality, marked by back-and-forth loosening and re-enforcement of norms throughout the Soviet era and beyond.

What defines masculinity? Hard work and seriousness or a good sense of style and a well-trained body? In this photograph by Visvaldas Morkevičius, a sculpture titled „The Construction Worker“, created in 1976 by Antanas Dimzlis, was intended to expressively demonstrate the sacrificial masculine fatigue endured during the construction the Lazdynai suburb of Vilnius. Such images were fairly common in Soviet­era art. But if we step back a bit from ideological aims, it might seem that this perfectly-built construction worker is not so much exhausted, but showing off his muscular body. The photograph series „Lazdynai“ was created for a British fashion magazine. The young men posing in the images appear a bit threatening, but their stylish clothing and typical modeling poses soften the imagery. Three photographs direct focus at the relationship between Soviet stone sculpture and a young resident of the suburb - here, the two appear both in and out of sync with one another. The man shown in the photos evokes the notion of metrosexuality, referring to urban men who enjoy shopping, fashion, and perfecting their look and similar interests that had previously been attributed interests that had previously been attributed to women. lt becomes clear that sculpture and people are connected through a superficial harshness, beneath which lies an intriguing sexuality.



Image: Visvaldas Morkevičius: „Lazdynai #9“ (from the series „Lazdynai 1“, 2015-2016), 2016, pigment print on Hahnemühle photo rag paper, 59,4 x 42 cm, Courtesy: the artist.