The long-awaited event ArtVilnius’22 is kicking off today, on 7th of October, at the Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo. The theme of the Fair, which is held for the thirteenth time this year, is ecology, with a special focus on the genres of installation and sculpture. The special guest of the fair is Ukraine, whose artists’ works will be presented in various segments of the programme.
Ukraine has been an important partner of ArtVilnius since its inception. Ten art galleries from Ukraine participated in the first fair in 2009. “Artists from each country have their own style, but the Ukrainian art immediately catches the eye—it is full of talent, it is interesting, bright and focuses on important subjects. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, we invited Ukraine for the first time to become a special guest of the fair, expressing our support to the Ukrainian nation this way. This year, we have invited Ukraine to participate as a special guest of the fair with the same intentions”, says Diana Stomienė, director of ArtVilnius Contemporary Art Fair.
This year, ArtVilnius’22 is hosting six Ukrainian art galleries: regular participants Tsekh (Kyiv | Vilnius), Ya Gallery from Lviv, Art14 and Ra Gallery from Kyiv as well as new additions to the fair—Shcherbenko Art Center from Kyiv and Naked Room Gallery which is going to represent Ukraine at this year’s Venice Biennale 59.
Mrs. Stomienė claims that this year it is important to help Ukrainian artists to survive and encourages everyone to buy works by Ukrainian artists.
Diana Stomienė. Photo by Marius Zicius
This year ArtVilnius’22 is going to feature 70 art galleries and institutions and 320 artists from 18 countries. Besides the main gallery programme, ArtVilnius sets up an annual Project Zone where art institutions and renowned artists from Lithuania and other countries will present their projects and exhibitions created exclusively for the Fair (curated by Valentinas Klimašauskas). The Fair will also host an international sculpture, installation, and performance exhibition called the Path (curated by Vytenis Burokas), comprised of 28 individual artists’ projects. An international jury of art professionals and visitors will select the best galleries, artists, and individual works presented at the Fair. At the same time, the interactive LRT studio will host discussions, lectures, and presentations on art. The art fair attracts around 23 thousand visitors every year and is a highlight of the art scene in the Baltics. The fair will last till 9th of October.
