Lithuania's Cultural Renaissance: Art, Architecture, and Identity
Lithuania is experiencing a vibrant cultural revival, spearheaded by influential women such as President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Culture Minister Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson. The Lithuanian Culture Institute, staffed by a dynamic young team, is instrumental in this development. The 11th Kaunas Biennial, running from September to November 2017 and curated by Paulina Pukyté, showcased works at Kaunas Picture Gallery. Cultural attaché Julija Reklaitė, who has been in Rome since 2015, organized the 'Magma' exhibition at Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, which is open until April 2. Future highlights include 'Architecture of Optimism' in Rome (May 4-15) and the FLUX festival in May. Lithuania will also present a pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas. Additionally, a retrospective of filmmaker Jonas Mekas is scheduled for the Bergamo Film Meeting in March and the Bolzano Film Festival in April.
Key facts
- Lithuania's cultural scene is led by women, including President Dalia Grybauskaitė.
- The 11th Kaunas Biennial took place September-November 2017, curated by Paulina Pukyté.
- Kaunas Biennial included exhibitions at Kaunas Picture Gallery: 'Coming or Going', 'What Are Monuments Made Of', and 'Detachment' by Sophie Calle.
- Julija Reklaitė has been cultural attaché in Rome since 2015.
- Exhibition 'Magma' at Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica runs until April 2, 2018.
- FLUX festival in Rome in May 2018 features conductor Mirga Grazinyte Tyla and artist Deimantas Narkevičius.
- Lithuania will have its own pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas.
- Jonas Mekas retrospective at Bergamo Film Meeting (March) and Bolzano Film Festival (April).
Entities
Artists
- Paulina Pukyté
- Laima Kreivytė
- Udi Edelman
- Sophie Calle
- Julija Reklaitė
- Benedetta Carpi De Resmini
- Lina Lapelité
- Eglė Budvytytė
- Kipras Dubauskas
- Vaiva Grainytė
- Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė
- Deimantas Narkevičius
- Mirga Grazinyte Tyla
- Eimuntas Nekrošius
- Oskaras Koršunovas
- Kamile Gudmonaite
- Nomeda Urbonas
- Gediminas Urbonas
- Jonas Mekas
- Pippo Ciorra
- Anna Cestelli Guidi
- Claudio Libero Pisano
Institutions
- Lithuanian Culture Institute
- Kaunas Picture Gallery
- Architecture Foundation
- MAXXI
- Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica
- Auditorium Parco della Musica
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Rupert
- Nida Art Colony
- Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts
- Ex Elettrofonica
- Albumarte
- Teatro India
- Bergamo Film Meeting
- Bolzano Film Festival
- Università La Sapienza
- Comune di Roma
Locations
- Lithuania
- Vilnius
- Kaunas
- Rome
- Italy
- Venice
- Bergamo
- Bolzano
- Münster
- United States