International Contemporary Art Group Exhibition

This year marks the inaugural edition of the international art festival Vague Vagon, aimed at fostering contemporary cultural activity in the Aukštaitija region—specifically in the village of Kriaunos and its surroundings. The festival offers a wide spectrum of events, from exhibitions to educational workshops. Thanks to this initiative, the abandoned and unused Kriaunos House of Culture has been transformed into a platform for presenting contemporary artists and their work.

In the autumn of 2024, the venue hosted its first experimental conceptual art exhibition titled A14–3608. The interest it generated among locals and visitors alike has led to this year’s main exhibition being presented in the same space, which itself bears witness to a controversial historical period—the Soviet era. The contemporary artworks on display invite viewers to reflect on global issues, recall notable figures associated with the Aukštaitija region, reconsider the identity of the locality, and expand their worldview.

The main exhibition, playfully titled Culture House, showcases works across multiple genres—from video art and photography to painting and object-based works. The group show features more than ten artists from Lithuania and abroad.

Part of the exhibition will be the 1972 movie “Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania” from legendary avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas.

The film shows footage J. Mekas shot with his first Bolex, during the 1950s; his first years in New York State. Another part is shot during 1971, at a trip where he returns to the village of Semeniškiai, many years after he was forced to flee from his homeland as it was occupied by Germans. It is a displaced person’s nostalgic odyssey into the irrevocable past.

This deeply symbolic piece connects the local with the global, evoking a range of emotions and reflections through its unique mood and authenticity. Shot with a handheld camera, the fleeting moments captured reveal the surrounding environment, people, and atmosphere with subtle sensitivity. Mekas once stated that a farmer’s life nourishes the human body and spirit more than any yoga practice—a sentiment that reflects his personal connection to his homeland, formed during childhood and youth, and deeply rooted in his artistic identity.

Upon entering the building, visitors are greeted by playful and paradoxical collages made from found trash by Vilnius-based artist R. Praspaliauskas. It is a poetry of urban everyday life — a quiet yet eloquent story about what we leave behind. In the series Death Makes My Happiness Dance by local painter Rimvydas Pupelis topics around human existence, the logic of birth and death, and their emotional weight are reflected. In the former dance hall, the artist presents an impressive five-meter-long painting from the series. Vasco Manhiça also explores the themes of death and suffering while questioning dominant power structures that incite war and conflict. In the same space, photographer Basile Alexiou presents two series that explore the death of his father due to illness and his own psychological states.

Ukrainian visual artist Elena Subach presents her photo series We Don’t Want to See This Anymore, examining the psychological toll of Russia’s ongoing war on the Ukrainian people. Her images depict the “soulscape” of modern Ukraine, beyond the battlefield. S. E. Jurgelytė presents a group of objects from her series Process of Breaking Out, Ecstasy of Going Through, rising the question: when does repetition become oppression? She searches for rupture points that allow for reorientation and resistance. Jolita Puleikytė’s graphic works deconstruct everyday life with atmospheric charm and playful wit.

Algis Fediajevas’ sound installation challenges stereotypes of country music and explores its deeper layers by asking: “How does this music resonate in today’s Lithuanian context?” Music also plays a central role in a new video work by Andrius Kviliūnas. Shown on the former theater stage, the previously unpublished piece is inspired by paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, exploring the relationship between contemporary perspectives and historical visual codes. Alongside A. Kviliūnas’s triptych, Karina Kazlauskaitė presents her works from the series Fat Gun — a video installation and copper brooches titled Little Guns. The piece oscillates between the fragility of human existence and the symbolism of power.

Américo dos Santos Hunguana presents an excerpt from his series The Ghost of ‘Praca de Touros’, in which he investigates the phenomenon of a former bullfighting arena being reclaimed by the local community—revealing layers of colonial heritage in Mozambique.

Together, this diverse group of artists and artworks opens up a wide prism of themes touching on human psychology, life and death, environmental concerns and cultural phenomena. The abandoned yet spacious former soviet era culture house, now filled with contemporary art, offers every visitor a chance to question, reflect, and engage.

On display from July 12 to 22, in “the (former) Culture House”, Sartų g. 14, Kriaunos, Rokiškis district.

The exhibition shows the work of two prominent Lithuanian naïve art creators – Monika Bičiūnienė (1910–2009) and Petronėlė Gerlikienė (1905–1979) – whose unique artistic expression emerged later in life.

Both artists entered the art world as self-taught creators, yet their work became a vital testimony to the development of naïve art in Lithuania during the second half of the 20th century. Their art captivates not only through its authenticity but also through distinctive worldviews.

Bičiūnienė’s paintings are richly patterned, rhythmic, and narrative, often depicting scenes of domestic life, cityscapes, celebrations, and everyday rituals. In contrast, Gerlikienė’s works are striking for their emotional intensity and imagery of femininity, mythology, and religion—where bold colors flow freely, forms defy logic, and compositions pulse with inner urgency.

One artist creates through observation and structured form, the other through emotion and spontaneity. This difference lies at the heart of the exhibition—a compelling invitation to see how the notion of “naïveté” can unfold in diverse ways when shaped by the free, unbounded, and independent vision of a woman artist.

On display from July 12 to August 31, in “Kriaunos Museum”, Sartų g. 12, Kriaunos, Rokiškis district.

“Conversations with Justinas Vienožinskis”

Remigijus Praspaliauskas’ textile art object and Klaus Leo Richter’s photographs will engage in a subtile yet intense dialogue with the paintings of Justinas Vienožinskis.

Presented in the childhood home of painter Justinas Vienožinskis, the exhibition “Conversations with Justinas Vienožinskis” brings together three artistic perspectives.

The core of the exhibition consists of paintings by the founder of the Lithuanian art school, which form the foundation of Lithuania’s art history. The exhibition will feature Lithuanian landscapes from different periods, as well as landscapes of the Caucasus painted during a sanatorium stay in Zheleznovodsk. A selection of letters addressed to J. Vienožinskis by his friends and influential figures of Lithuanian culture will also be presented.

Remigijus Praspaliauskas wall carpet ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Just a Little Smile’ is a homage to Čiurlionis. The admiration J. Vienožinskis had for Čiurlionis was clear. Even under the pressure of the Soviet regime, he refused to deny the cultural and artistic significance of this great painter and composer. J. Vienožinskis paid a heavy price for his principles, losing both his job and pension.

At first glance, Praspaliauskas’ work appears playful—but this impression is misleading. It can be seen as a reflection on today’s society, where public interest is increasingly captured only by loud, sensational content in a world of ever-shortening attention spans. What draws attention is not only the little smile at the top of the composition but perhaps even more so the intimidating gaping jaws. Thus, the smiley appears as a hint at a cynical world that demands a smile while laughingly devouring our souls. The piece is made visible at night, thanks to the fluorescent threads. Another indication that something lies hidden here. In this respect, the look behind the colorful facade becomes a quasi-survival strategy, if one views what we call the soul, as an inherent necessity of human life.

In contrast to Vienožinskis’ landscape paintings from the North Caucasus, Klaus Leo Richter presents a selection of photographs from the South Caucasus, more precisely, from Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. After three trips between 2017 and 2022, during which Richter became acquainted with environmental activists, civil society figures and ordinary Armenians, the complexity of Armenian present and the weight of its history deeply impressed him. In the exhibition he will show for the first time images from his ongoing photo series with the provisional title ‘Of Shades, Hues and Tones’.

On display from June 29 to August 31, in “J. Vienožinskis Memorial Museum”, J.Vienožinskio g. 28a., Audronys, Rokiškis district.