Theatre. Costume Sketches

ALEKSANDRA JACOVSKYTĖ is a scenographer, graphic artist, and photographer. Until now, her work has been presented mainly through  graphic art and photography. In the jubilee exhibition “Theatre. Costume Sketches”, her theatre costume sketches are shown publicly for the first time.

These works are usually seen by audiences only in their final form on stage, while their origins—the drawings remain 
behind the scenes. The exhibition presents costume sketches created over various years, ranging from earlier works—such as those for Osvaldas Balakauskas’s ballet Macbeth (1989)—to later ones, including “Tristan and Isolde” (2012), based on music by Richard Wagner and Henk de Vlieger.

Aleksandra Jacovskytė has designed costumes for operas including Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” (1995) and “Aida” (1997), Giedrius Kuprevičius’ “Queen Bona” (2002), and Amilcare Ponchielli’s “The Lithuanians” (2009). The exhibition also features sketches for theatre productions such as William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” (1999) and Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” (2006), as well as for the ballets “Caligula” (1992) and “Tristan and Isolde” (2012), and stage costumes for the Lithuanian Jewish dance and song ensemble “Fajerlech”.

The artist emphasises that creative work requires faith in oneself and one’s ideas. Her first experiences in scenography came while working at Lithuanian Television. She later collaborated on numerous productions with her brother, scenographer Adomas Jacovskis, whose stage designs were complemented by her costumes.

According to the artist, costume creation requires an understanding of stage space, functionality, and the relationship between character, costume, and set design. While sets are often static, moving characters bring life to the stage. The exhibition reveals not only the backstage of theatre, but also that of Jacovskytė’s home. Personal objects that shaped her creative development are on display. Theatre and creative work are inseparable from her identity.

Her costumes have appeared on the stages of major Lithuanian theatres. Today, her costume sketches are preserved in museum collections as well as in private collections.

                                                                                                                                                             - Ieva Šadzevičienė