„Nothing could have prepared me for the rapid and extraordinary cultural growth I have witnessed in Kaunas since I first exhibited there in 2013. Participating in the biennial of contemporary art, 2015, emphasized to me not only the importance of Kaunas on the international cultural map but of the contribution it is making to the expanding european narrative.
It was was while watching the long lines of people attending the biennial that the remarkable Lithuanian Photographer Arturas Morozovas observed that ‘in the past, under Russian occupation, people cued for bread, now they cue for exhibitions’. It was a statement that really brought home to me how Kaunas as a city has always found ways to feed its citizens, cultivating them, bringing them freedom and opportunities that really can change people’s lives.
To participate in and experience something growing like this is a privilege to everyone involved, it is something you keep with you long after the event. It is for this reason that I support Kaunas for 2022, so that as many people as possible maybe be part of this extraordinary process.” – Silvia Giambrone
Silvia Giambrone was born in 1981. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome (2002-2006). She has held residencies throughout Europe and USA over the past four years. Giambrone, who both lives and works in Rome, is also the co-founder of the 26cc artist space in Rome. She uses conceptual art to illustrate her own social commentary with a keen focus on gender politics. Some of her exhibitions include: Pandora’s Box, CCCB Museum, Madrid (2009); Eurasia, Mart Museum, Rovereto (2009); Qui vive? Moscow Biennale of young artists (2010); Under a false name, Spazio13 Foundation, Warsaw (2011); Flyers, Oncena Biennal de la Havana (2012); Regeneration, Macro Museum, Roma (2012); Autoritratti. Iscrizioni del femminile nell’arte italiana contemporanea, MAMbo, Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna(2013); Mediterranea 16 (2013); Kaunas Bienale Unitext (2013); Let it go, American Academy in Rome (2013), Let it go, Riso Museum, Palermo (2014), Critica in arte, MAR Museum, Ravenna (2014), Ciò che non siamo, ciò che non vogliamo, MAG Museum (2014), Riva del Garda; A terrible love of war, Kaunas Bienale (2015); The Body as Language: Women and Performance, Richard Saltoun Gallery, London (2015;); ‘Suite Rivolta’, Carla Lonzi’s feminism and the art of revolt, Museu de Electricidade, Doclisboa’s Passages, Lisboa (2015); Every passion borders on the chaotic, Museo Villa Croce, Genova (2016); W Women in Italian Design, Triennale Design Museum, Milano (2016); Archeologia domestica Vol. I, Italienisches Kulturinstitut Köln (2016).
Awards: 2016 Optima SmartUp, Winner; 2014 Collectors for Celeste Prize, Winner; Francesco Fabbri Prize, Bim Special Mention, Winner; 2013 Kaunas Biennale, Winner; 2010 Razzano Prize, selected; 2009 Premio Epson, Winner; horti2008 Agnelli Foundation, selected.
