To mark European Museum Night, on May 23 at 6:00 p.m., the exhibition Rhona Gorvy: Life and Dreams will open in the former Kurkliai Synagogue building (S. Nėries St. 4A, Kurkliai, Anykščiai District Municipality). Rhona Gorvy, an artist born in South Africa to Jewish emigrants from Lithuania, has left Lithuania a rich creative legacy. The exhibition presents cycles of her graphic works and sculptures, reflecting social problems of humanity, raising questions relevant to society, and encouraging viewers to take a close look at the multifaceted human nature.
Although Rhona Gorvy (1921–2016) was born in Springs, South Africa, her parents’ roots reached Plungė, Švenčionys, and Kaunas. She was only a few months old when death took her father, grandfather, and uncle, so Rhona was raised by her widowed mother and grandmother. An interesting fact in the family biography is that Rhona was related on her father’s side to two well-known cousins who lived in the United States: fashion photographer Irving Penn and director and producer Arthur Penn.
From an early age, Rhona was drawn to art. As she herself said, “I think that kind of inclination is already given at birth. It is like a magnet drawing you in, whether you want it or not.” After graduating from the University of the Witwatersrand, she worked as a speech therapist and studied art—attending drawing classes at George Boys’ School of Fine Art. Her creative field was broad, ranging from graphics and painting to sculpture and even poetry, which often accompanied her visual artworks.
Gorvy’s work is known and valued for its ability to speak artistically about issues important to society and to come closer to the essence of humanity. The exhibition Rhona Gorvy: Life and Dreams presents works from the Dreams and Intoxication / Cosmic Dreams series, which take viewers into the world of hallucinations caused by drug-induced imagination. This is yet another social problem in the face of which she refuses to remain silent. The artist becomes society’s “moral conscience,” compelling us to look boldly at the dark side of the human soul.
Especially moving is the cycle History from the Series of Life, in which the life of a bird family is drawn with a fine line: the courtship dance, nest-building, preparing the chicks for their first flight, the emptying of the nest, and finally the death of a loved one, when the grieving bird leans against a vertical tree branch turned into a cross, while another lies down on the horizontal branch for eternal rest. This tender narrative is easily recognizable, simple, and yet timeless, finding an echo in every heart.
Among the artist’s works and across different thematic lines are pieces that include engravings, monotypes, decorative monochrome or colorful linocuts, such as African Dance, Isaac’s Ram, Woman with Flowers and Fruit, Couple in the Forest, and others. Rhona is able to tell a story using a single line and, in concise graphic language, create the right mood—breathing with biblical past or the warm exoticism of Matisse-like southern lands.
The artist pays special attention to the theme of women’s lives: from portraits of young girls and studies of mother and child to metamorphoses of the female body itself. Themes of nudity, sensuality, and fertility are not avoided. Many of Rhona’s series are accompanied by poems, which became an inseparable part of her artistic expression.
The exhibition opening program includes remarks by Ieva Šadzevičienė, chief curator of the Samuel Bak Museum of the VGŽIM, live percussion improvisations by Arkadijus Gotesmanas, and memories and personal stories. Rhona Gorvy’s exhibition at the Kurkliai Synagogue will be on view until September 13, 2026.
The Kurkliai Synagogue is a branch of the Anykščiai Arts Center, where a history museum operates, cultural events and concerts are held, and educational activities are organized. From May 30, the synagogue will host an exhibition of ceramic works by Lina Bekerienė, and from July 30, an exhibition of a jacket created by Moišė Dovydas Osinskis for the “Burton” brand. On September 6, European Jewish Culture Day will take place in Kurkliai: we will introduce a kosher cuisine and klezmer music. Stay tuned for updates!
Organizer: Anykščiai Arts Center
Financial supporters: Anykščiai District Municipality, Lithuanian Council for Culture
Media partner: regional news portal www.anyksta.lt and the newspaper Anykšta
Project: Šalom, Kurkliai!