While creating the exhibition, J.Stonkus studied modern masculinity, its rituals and practices. The exhibition recorded ten men who have garages in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Druskininkai.
Grandpa’s garage left an indelible impression
J.Stonkus started getting to know the culture of garages in his early childhood, when he used to go to the garage with his grandfather Juoz. The trip lasting about half an hour was accompanied by silence, but as soon as the garage door opened, another world greeted us, and the grandfather immediately opened the door. The abundance of tools, order and cleanliness in a small space was surprising.
“Only now I consider that my grandfather’s garage told me more about him than my grandfather himself. Unfortunately, I recently learned that my grandfather’s garage is gone because the municipality decided to distribute the area of the garage array to real estate developers. He created his own space all his life, and now those things are rotting in the basement”, said J. Stonkus.
The interviewer noted that he started using the garage when he bought a motorcycle.
“As Kazimierz, one of the heroes of the exhibition, said: there comes a time in every man’s life to have a garage. That time dawned on me too. I started rummaging around a little bit in the garage, screwdrivers and pliers appeared. I also bring my son Kazi here, we have a fun ritual: we start the motorcycle together, spin the wheel,” said the photographer.
Man caves
According to the author of the exhibition, the garage is a space for men, a hideout, a cave, where they seek comfort, relaxation and a break from everyday life.
“The garage is an essential location for analyzing the performance of contemporary urban masculinity. It is a very masculine space where men can create an opportunity to have fun, escape from everyday household worries, express their individuality and free their imagination, as well as feel and experience brotherhood and immerse themselves in a free-spirited life,” said J.Stonkus.
He is glad that the men let him into a very private space.
“I consider it the highest level of trust that men let me into the garage, because not everyone goes there,” J. Stonkus noted and emphasized: “Masculinity these days is broken, fragile. Something needs to be done about it. Maybe open more?”, the author of the exhibition thought.
From the whiff of the Monte Carlo Rally to the sewing room
What did the photographer J. Stonkus see when he entered the ten men’s garages? In one place, he saw neatly stored cars and motorcycles, in another – a vehicle being prepared for the Monte Carlo rally, a blacksmith’s workshop or a tailor’s shop, which becomes a sports club in the evening.
A real “time capsule” was waiting in a garage in Žaliakalnis – from 1976 Raimundas Adinavičius, a racing driver who works here, has amassed a collection of various rally tables. His old “zigulys” is also stored in the room.
“I raced for a long time, then my sons Augustas and Kristupas started playing sports, the latter is pressing the speed pedal in the Lithuanian championship. In the garage, I try to prepare the cars of family and friends for racing. Many racing cars have been in this garage. This year, I prepared a car for the Monte Carlo rally”, said R. Adinavičius.
Motorcyclist Kazimieras Čeponis jokes that he has been living in a garage since birth.
“The garage is in the house where I grew up from birth. I inherited it from my father. During the winter, I redesigned the space, now I am repairing the equipment here, and I have set up a workplace. I keep motorcycles here, the car of my youth,” said K. Čeponis.
In his garage, a cypress hangs on the wall, an 8-meter-long book collection is stored here, and a collection of several hundred films is nearby. The man also keeps a motorcycle with a cradle in the garage.
“I’ve disabled access to my garage, so unrelated things don’t appear here: pots, hoards, etc. Although the garages of others become both warehouses and service stations”, added K. Čeponis.
The garage of Kaunietis Augustinas is special. During the day, there is a sewing shop, and in the evening, the space turns into a sports club. He lifts weights here with his friends.
Garage culture is changing
The photographer J. Stonkus, together with the heroes of the exhibition, admitted that the culture of garages changes over the years.
“The function of garages has expanded. 21st century in garages you can find not only a repair space, but also a place for parties, a sports club or a tailor shop. The garage culture of the Soviet era is disappearing, it is transforming into a modern, wider, more colorful one,” said J.Stonkus, the author of the exhibition.
Racer R. Adinavičius pointed out that the mass culture of garages is disappearing.
“There used to be garage cooperatives, where everyone used to hang out, usually in the evenings. Now that’s gone,” said R. Adinavičius.
Motorcyclist Kazimieras Čeponis pointed out that during the Soviet era, many lived in apartment buildings that had massive garages, which became a specific place for men to meet.
“After the regaining of independence, they started to clean up the old garages, they tried to make money by repairing them. After the 2000s, people began to engage in self-realization: someone collected, someone sold, furnished rooms more beautifully,” said K. Čeponis.
The photographer plans to visit a couple more garages and publish a calendar this year.
“The calendar was the most common and probably the unifying symbol of the entire garage culture. But in almost all cases, these were erotic calendars”, pointed out J. Stonkus.
The exhibition “Garage Men” will be on display at the Kaunas Cultural Center until May 21.
