19 Jun 2015

Art Fair ARTVILNIUS'15. Ukraine Guest of Honour

Art Vilnius'15 is pleased to invite you to its 6th edition that will take place from 25 to 28 June. 55 contemporary and modern art galleries from Belarus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, will fill the 15000 m2 of the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo in Vilnius for a 4 days celebration of art in all its forms of expression.

Guest country - Ukraine

This year Ukraine will present an impressive supply for the Art Fair which we are not yet familiar with. A total of seven Ukrainian art galleries will participate in the art fair: Kiev-based Tsekh, Karas, Ya gallery, Bottega, Art'14, RA and Dnipropetrovsk-based Artsvit.

The director of ArtVilnius'15 and president of the Lithuanian Art Gallerists' Association, Diana Stomienė, noted that in addition to the seven Ukrainian art galleries there will be more than a hundred of collectors and journalists from Ukraine present at the art fair. 'Although the political situation in Ukraine is very complicated, art continues to live on. Unlike in Lithuania, Ukrainian private galleries cannot expect any help from the state and have to make money themselves. So it's really important for them to participate in art fairs and look for new contacts', said Mrs. Stomienė.

The Ukrainians will present, inter alia, one of the most impressive works dedicated to the consumption topic that will become the central art piece of the fair – installation 'Siberia' by Nikita Shalennyi. The work which is 20 metres in length and 4 metres in width will be installed in LITEXPO Exposition Hall 5. The installation requires 1,000 green fabric towels made in China, which has become a symbol of cheap and fast modern production.

Exclusive collections

With regard to other art fair's constituents the emphasis should be placed on the traditional exhibition of large-sized sculptures and installations TAKAS (PATH) and the exclusive partner of the art fair, international venture Lewben Group. This company will for the first time present the public a part of its collection of international contemporary artists managed by the Lewben Art Foundation: Charles Avery, Markus Schinwald, Tala Madani, Los Carpinteros, Tony Cragg, Thomas Houseago, Bertrand Lavier, Jonathas de Andrade and Pedro Reyes (curator Francesca Ferrarini, Italy).

This year, the traditional exhibition of large-sized sculptures and installations TAKAS obtained an international character. Artists from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine will demonstrate impressive art works. Among the authors of the works in this category will be Aigars Bikše, Andrius Erminas, Andrius Pukis, Anton Logov, Danas Aleksa, Daria Krotova, Iveta Laure, Jonas Aničas, Jurga Barilaitė, Kęstutis Svirnelis, Matas Janušonis, Nikita Shalennyi, Rafal Piesliak, Saulius Vaitiekūnas, Tauras Kensminas and Ugis Traumanis.

Video Art

Video art will be given special attention in ArtVilnius'15. Tasja Langenbach and Jennifer Gassmann (Germany), curators of VIDEONALE Festival for Contemporary Video Art will present the best video works selected specifically for the art fair under the common topic THE CALL OF THE WILD. World's renowned artist and musician Vladimir Tarasov currently residing in New York will invite ArtVilnius'15 visitors to see his heady video installation The Sixties which is debuting in Lithuania.

Additional events

The programme of the Art Fair also includes a number of conferences and public discussions on art and collecting, a collaboration with the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Justinas Vienožinskis Art School and Jūratė Stauskaitė Art School, an interactive educational programme (Among creators) for children, youth and adults, side events and performances held by the participating galleries and artists, as well as the annual awards ceremony for best galleries and artists of 2015.