Join us as we delve into the vibrant world of ArtVilnius’24 with Diana Stomienė and Sonata Baliuckaitė. This year’s event will feature an impressive lineup of 67 contemporary art galleries, 15 esteemed institutions, and over 300 talented artists from 14 countries, all gathering from October 4 to 6 at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo. With a special focus on Northern Europe, ArtVilnius’24 promises to be a dynamic showcase of creativity and innovation.
Monika Juskowiak: This year marks the 15th anniversary – congratulations! How does it feel to be organizing the 15th edition? Do you remember how it all started?
Diana Stomienė: I feel proud and confident as we celebrate 15 years of ArtVilnius. Over this time, we’ve built a strong, dedicated team and cultivated an extensive network of art collectors, journalists, and partners. Looking back, when we first launched ArtVilnius, no one could have imagined it would grow beyond its initial year. Yet here we are, marking our 15th edition.
In 2009, when we were launching ArtVilnius as one of the most important events in Vilnius – European Capital of Culture project, the head of Frieze London was visiting Lithuania. Someone from the Lithuanian art community asked if it was wise to start an art fair in Vilnius during the economic crisis. Now is the best time to do it, because the crisis will pass and the fair will have already been established,” was his answer. The oldest and most influential art fairs in Europe, such as the Cologne Fair in 1967, Art Brussels in 1968, and Art Basel a few years later in 1970, were founded by gallerists, just like ArtVilnius, so we are continuing the tradition of European art fairs.
Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009 project gave the fair a historic opportunity to create a continuous event. Our team spent two years developing the model and structure of the international fair.
We did not set out to compete with the big European art fairs, but the fact that today there still has not been a bigger art fair within a 1,000-kilometre radius of Vilnius is our achievement.
We are also very grateful to the Lithuanian Council for Culture for financing ArtVilnius all these years, as well as to our Patron – Vilnius city municipality.
MJ: After ecology in 2022 and performativity in 2023, this year’s theme is Northern Europe. What inspired this shift, and can you explain the focus?
DS: Every year at ArtVilnius, we have a particular focus, whether it’s a country, region, or a specific art medium. This year, we decided to focus on Northern Europe. We wanted to invite galleries, institutions, and artists from Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, and Latvia, as well as introduce visitors to the Northern European art scene.
As noted by ArtVilnius Project Zone curator Dr. Valentinas Klimašauskas, according to the UN geoscheme classification, the Baltic states are also prescribed as part of Northern Europe. “Although the focus of ArtVilnius’24 is a particular geographical region, the geopolitical, cultural, and other territories and borders in today’s world are more porous, honeycombed, heterogeneous, and unstable than they may seem at first glance”, – says V.Klimašauskas.
MJ: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing this year’s edition?
DS: The biggest challenge was bringing together galleries, artists, and institutions from Northern Europe, as they have long-standing traditions, organise their own art fairs, and participate much less in European art fairs, have a strong art market and traditions. Additionally, autumn marks the start of the cultural season in Europe, with numerous art openings happening everywhere, and many art fairs taking place around the same time across Europe. This forces galleries to carefully choose where to participate. However, we are delighted that this year we managed to invite 67 international galleries, 20 of which will be participating for the first time.
As well, it takes time to grow our collector’s list. Naturally, the galleries that are going to take part in the fair want to sell their works, and we have to make sure that the buyers come to the fair. Even the famous art fair ARCO Madrid used to pay travel expenses for hundreds of collectors and art professionals. So, year after year, they have built up their army of fair fans.
ArtVilnius is following this path, cooperating with the Lithuanian Institute of Culture and the Lithuanian Cultural Attaché in foreign countries, and with the help of our sponsors, we pay for the travel expenses of special fair guests. We are an association, a non-profit organization, and it would be really helpful if we could get much more funding from the state for targeted visits of foreign guests.
MJ: Art Vilnius connects East and West beyond the art itself. How does this year’s theme advance that mission, and how is it unique compared to previous years?
DS: If it wasn’t for the pandemic that had gripped the world and the war that has broken out in Ukraine, Vilnius would be a very important point on the map of European art fairs ArtVilnius. Today, the geopolitical situation of Lithuania often prevents foreign visitors from choosing Vilnius as their destination.
So, we are ready to rethink the questions of aesthetics, politics, and statistical positioning raised by belonging to one or another region.
MJ: Sonata – under your art direction, Dr. Valentinas Klimašauskas curates the Project Zone, while Maria Arusoo oversees The Path. What can you tell us about these projects and how they resonate with this year’s programme and theme?
Sonata Baliuckaitė: It is in the non-commercial parts of the ArtVilnius programme that the annual highlights of the fair are most clearly reflected. Whether it is a country (we have already had Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States, France, and now Northern Europe) or a particular genre of art (such as the emphasis on photography, video art, works on paper, sculpture/installation). With the emphasis this time on Northern Europe, we have hoped to attract more participants from Scandinavian countries, especially galleries. The Project Zone will include both institutions and artists invited by Valentinas.
Among the participants of the Project Zone, this year will be Edith Karlson and Katja Novitskova, who represented the Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Riga’s art gallery 427 will present artists Kaspars Groševs, Ieva Kraule-Kūna, and Viktor Timofeev, while Simian Art from Copenhagen will bring projects by artists Lukas Danys and Jan S. Hansen.
On the moving image stage, Index: The Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation will present a video by Nina Sarnelle, while Kunsthal Charlottenborg from Copenhagen will introduce the artist Simon Dybbroe Møller. MELK Gallery from Oslo will be showing a video project by Norway-based Ukrainian artist Lesia Vasylchenko, and Kunsthalle Kohta from Helsinki will present a screening by Anu Pennanen. The Lithuanian contemporary art scene will be represented in the Project Zone by the recently opened Stasys Museum in Panevėžys, as well as individual projects by Jonas Aničas, Gabija Grušaitė, Rytis Urbanskas, and Igoris Piekuras (presented by MTR Art Foundation).
Valentinas Klimašauskas recommended Maria Arusoo, one of the strongest Estonian curators, to curate our annual exhibition of sculptures, installations, and performances The Path, and she selected 14 participants from 80 international applications. These are the Lithuanians Danas Aleksa, Eglė Pilkauskaitė, Indrė Liškauskaitė, Laima Kulbytė, Liudvikas Kesminas, Matas Janušonis, Monika Žaltauskaitė Grašienė Žaltė, Sunė Noreikaitė, Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, Žygimantas Bėrontas, Žilvinas Baranauskas, and Kęstutis Svirnelis, and Estonian Keithy Kuuspu. Three artists were invited by Maria Arusoo herself: Estonian Edith Karlson and Terje Ojaver and Finnish Anni Poulakka.
It is interesting to note that although Lithuania is part of Northern Europe, Estonia has always had more links with the Scandinavian countries. So this year in The Path, we will see a different selection of works, with more narratives, characters, and mystical animals – which I think is really Nordic.
MJ: The fair attracts 18,000 to 23,000 visitors annually, spanning all age groups. What aspects of this year’s program do you think will appeal to such a diverse audience?
SB: As every year, the ArtVilnius programme is designed for a wide audience of art lovers, and this year we are bringing back the previously existing educational programme for children and young people Tarp kūrėjų/Among Creators, which I believe will attract more children, art school students, and families.
The different accents of the fair each year, the dynamic programme, and the new names help to keep the audience’s attention – this year, as many as 20 galleries will participate in ArtVilnius for the first time. We also have an interesting programme of discussions and talks – to celebrate our 15th anniversary, we have invited Dr. Paco Barragan, an art fair historian, critic, and curator from Spain, who researches art fairs and biennials – I think this will be an interesting and engaging lecture, valuable for us as organizers, as well as for the regular and new visitors to the fair.
MJ: By holding workshops at various venues, such as art schools, is the fair aiming to involve local institutions in its community outreach?
SB: Since its inception in 2009, ArtVilnius has enjoyed a very close relationship with the most important Lithuanian art institutions. This includes all the most important national museums in Vilnius, the Vilnius Academy of Arts, art schools, the Vilnius Contemporary Art Centre, and private art foundations and museums, which coordinate the dates of their events with the art fair dates. For ArtVilnius guests, we also organize additional programs and tours at these institutions. Moreover, Vilnius Academy of Arts has 6 galleries that always successfully participate in the ArtVilnius art fair. This year, three art schools will organize an ArtVilnius educational program for children and young people, so we are also contributing to cultural education.
MJ: With workshops, talks, and artist meetings available annually, how can visitors get involved this year and express their opinions on the event?
SB: ArtVilnius visitors are invited to attend our lectures and meet artists and gallerists at the fair stands. The fair is a huge networking event, where you can meet artists live and interact with gallerists simultaneously. There will be interactive, experiential installations and video works that require the viewer’s involvement. Visitors can also choose their favorites: ArtVilnius Audience Select Gallery and Artist, which will be announced at the end of the fair on Sunday. Visitors to ArtVilnius cover the content of the fair extensively on their social networks, comment on the fair’s artworks and program, and tag us, which is why we see such a huge interest in the fair during the days of the event.
The 15th edition of the Fair will take place on 4-6 October 2024 at the Litexpo exhibition and congress centre.
Here is a link to this year’s ArtVilinus programme: https://artvilnius.com/art-fair-artvilnius24-announces-exhibitor-list/
