Exclusive Interview: Lithuanian Photographer Antanas Sutkus on Meeting Jean Paul Sartre, His Personal Journey and the Situation in Ukraine. A Conversation with Zefyr Life Magazine

Florian David, Editor-in-Chief of Zefyr Life Magazine and CEO of Zefyr Worldwide in London, said: 'We are very grateful to Antanas Sutkus, his wife Rima and his daughter Giedre for granting us this priviledged access. Antanas Sutkus is a giant of photography, and his work will have its place in history next to other inspiring geniuses like Henri Cartier Bresson and Brassaï.'

Lina Daugirdaite, Zefyr's Creative Director who art-directed the piece, added: 'Art and artists have the power to bring about positive change in the world. As Antanas Sutkus said during our interview, "art will not solve at once all of the world's problems, but it can affect us as individuals, and it is then up to us to make the world a better place".'

Part of the conversation has been edited as a teaser featuring Antanas Sutkus and some of his beautiful works. The video teaser and the entire interview can be found on Zefyr Life Magazine's website on http://www.zefyrlife.com.

About Antanas Sutkus: Widely acknowleged as one of the greatest masters of the world of photography, Antanas Sutkus was born in 1939 in Kaunas. Recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize and Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gedeminas. He was one of the co-founders and a President of the Photography Art Society of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos fotografijos meno draugija). Sutkus' series People of Lithuania is considered one of his most important works. It is a continuing project begun in 1976 to document the changing life and people of Lithuania. Working at the time when Lithuania (as the Lithuanian SSR) was part of the Soviet Union, Sutkus focused on black and white portraits of ordinary people in their everyday life rather than the model citizens and workers promoted by Soviet propaganda. 

Sutkus had an opportunity to spend time with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir in 1965 when they visited Lithuania. One image, taken against the white sand of Nida, is highly regarded as capturing Sartre's ideas.

About  Zefyr Life Magazine : Zefyr Life Magazine aims to inspire its audience by engaging with individuals from all walks of life who challenge the status-quo and bring about change in the world. Zefyr Life Magazine features intimate conversations with talented personalities whose lives are defined by uncompromising freedom, pioneering creativity and willpower. In today's interconnected world, change can happen faster than ever. Zefyr Life Magazine wants to encourage people to 'Think big, because the world is small'.

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