Born 1964, lives and works in Vilnius.

Deimantas Narkevičius is a Lithuanian artist and filmmaker whose work examines the construction of memory, history, and ideology in post-Soviet Europe. Working primarily with moving image, his films and video installations blend archival footage, re-enactment, oral histories, and speculative narratives to question how personal and collective identities are shaped by the past.

Originally trained as a sculptor, Narkevičius turned to film in the 1990s as a more fluid medium for addressing temporal, political, and psychological concerns. His work is marked by a meticulous attention to editing and structure, often unfolding in non-linear time or from unexpected perspectives. In films like «Once in the XX Century» (2004), he reverses footage of a crowd toppling a Lenin monument, creating a haunting illusion of resurrection and prompting viewers to reconsider historical narratives and their visual mediation.

Narkevičius’s films are not merely about history – they are critical reflections on how history is told, by whom, and to what end. He frequently revisits moments of political rupture, exploring the ambiguities and contradictions that lie beneath official versions of the past. His interest in monuments, ruins, and the politics of memory echoes across his practice, as does his engagement with the ethics of representation and the gaps between image and truth.

Throughout his career, Narkevičius has developed a distinctive visual language that bridges documentary and fiction, drawing viewers into complex emotional and ideological terrains. His work has been shown at major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, Manifesta, and Documenta, and he has had solo presentations at institutions such as the Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), the Contemporary Art Centre (Vilnius), and the BFI Southbank (London).

Through an incisive, poetic, and often unsettling lens, Narkevičius continues to probe the ghosts of history, reminding us that the past is never fully past – and always subject to revision.

Deimantas Narkevičius © The Artist