Vilnius Gallery Weekend returns to Vilnius for the sixth time

2021-09-02

Returning for the sixth time, Vilnius Gallery Weekend will be welcoming citizens and tourists at more than 30 art spaces between 9 th and 12 th September. During the weekend, audiences in Vilnius will be welcome to participate in exhibition openings, tours, educational programmes, audio performances, meetings with the artists, and discussions.

A special gallery weekend project – an exhibition at the House of M. K. Čiurlionis titled Kita Oda (Another Skin) will feature seven artists from different generations presenting seven different outlooks at the Other, the stranger. This is a reflection of the unsure conditions that have emerged even before the pandemic and were then made even more prominent by isolation, severed social networks and the rise of authoritarian politics. When faced with unfamiliar circumstances, we tend to have many questions. Artists are the first to begin looking for answers by exploring themselves, the environment and time itself, attempting to clear preconceptions or contradictions and proposing alternative scenarios of action.

Oftentimes, art and artists themselves are seen as strangers (Others), while interest in the activities of galleries and art spaces often remains limited to a small circle of audiences. The prevailing opinion that art is near-impossible to understand often keeps potential viewers from stepping inside a gallery. To address that, on 10 th September, a public discussion/conversation titled Kodėl aš einu į parodas. Laisvalaikio leidimo būdai vizualiojo meno erdvėse (Why I Go to Galleries. Ways to Spend Leisure Time in Visual Art Spaces) held by the organisers of Vilnius Gallery Weekend will invite people of all ages and professions from outside the art sphere to share their insight into what encourages or hinders the popularity of art spaces. The goal of this conversation is to hear both actual and potential audience members, share expectations and perhaps give the participants of the art sphere a chance to borrow some ideas on how to bring galleries closer to the audiences. A second discussion titled Apie kultūros politiką. Išsipildymai (On Culture Politics. Fulfilments) will be aimed at providing an overview of the current condition of culture politics. Professional culture analysts and personalities will discuss the situation in which Lithuania currently finds itself and what options contemporary policy makers could or should choose.

The organisers of the 6 th Vilnius Gallery Weekend believe that every audience member will be able find something new and interesting this year and will become more closely familiar with various artists, galleries, museums and other art spaces.

 

VGS 2021


 

The project has been initiated and organised by the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association.
Activities of LIAA supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.

Sponsor: Clear Channel
Media sponsor: 15min