Kaunas 2022 team surprised MEPs: we have never seen this before
Kaunas – the 2022 European Capital of Culture attracts more and more attention and international visits. On July 18-20th the city received important guests – a delegation from the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament. They met with the representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Kaunas City Municipality and organizers of the Kaunas 2022 programme.
A delegation of six MEPs visited Kaunas for three days - they not only participated in the various meetings but also visited a considerable part of the ongoing events and exhibitions. According to S. Verheyen, the chairwoman of the CULT, the most important questions were the legacy of the programme and what awaits the city when the year of the Capital of Culture ends.
“Our goal was not so much to verify the facts, we wanted to see the long-term perspectives. It was clear that while hosting world-famous artists, Kaunas dedicated a lot of attention to the issues of city identity, community building, and inclusion of young artists. It is great to see how local communities, private and public sectors are joining the project. It is very important that local people are involved in the programme, so that the culture develops from the community itself, brings joy, and encourages people to participate,” said S. Verheyen.
In her speech, A. Verneyen emphasized multiple events and initiatives taking place in Kaunas and Kaunas district, the unique dredger boat “Nemuno7”, the modernist architecture of the city, and the involvement of former and current European Capitals of Culture in the programme.
The members of the delegation were also impressed that the city is not afraid to tell stories that often do not reach the public. “Untold stories, painful twists of the city's history must also be heard,” said N. Kizilyürek.
It is not the first year for Kaunas city and region to host these events - the programme has been developed together with local communities for five years. Kaunas region is holding events for the “Contemporary neighborhoods”, and the suburbs are enjoying festivals and the internationally acknowledged project “Culture to the Courtyards”. The Kaunas 2022 programme also aims to revive and turn various objects and spaces into new places of cultural attraction – the public art route “Emerald road” was opened in the Kaunas district, and the dredger boat “Nemuno 7” was turned into an exhibition space. In the former central palace of Kaunas Post Office, there is a space dedicated to Ukrainian artists and creatives named “CulturEUkraine”. Meetings, exhibitions, and other activities are organized at this center of open cooperation.
The attention of MEPs was also attracted by Mythical Beast of Kaunas
MEPs were very impressed by the Mythical Beast of Kaunas. Created by the community itself and becoming a myth and mascot of the city, the Mythical Beast of Kaunas is inseparable from the Kaunas 2022 programme. It also unites the three main events of the Capital of Culture – the “Confusion”, which opened the programme, the “Confluence” that flooded the city at the end of spring, and the “Contract” that will take place in the autumn. In the city, you can also see the sculpture of the Mythical Beast, the design of which was created by Darius Petreikis, the tooth of a mythical creature made by ceramicist prof. Remigijus Sederevičius, and in the entrances of Kaunas Castle you can hear the snoring of the Beast.
“We have never seen the myth associated with the European Capital of Culture. I think it's a great way to involve both children and adults,” Ms Verheyen said. “It is also very interesting that in many years' time people will remember this myth as their own, perhaps without even knowing that it was created in the year of the European Capital of Culture.”
The events will continue beyond the end of the European Year of Culture in Kaunas
According to Mindaugas Reinikis, Head of Marketing and Communication at Kaunas 2022, Kaunas has grown into a contemporary capital of culture, therefore, even after the end of the year of the Capital of Culture, residents will continue to enjoy an active cultural life. Among the events planned for the future are the “Day of Happiness”, the festival “Audra”, the European Capital of Culture Forum, the community programme “Fluxus Labs!”, “Nemuno7” and other initiatives and events.
By the end of the year, Kaunas 2022 will invite you to multiple events and exhibitions. For the remaining months, Kaunas residents and guests of the city will be delighted by the international festival of performing arts “ConTempo”, “CityTelling Festival”, landscape design festival “Magenta”, “Fluxus festival”, Yoko Ono's retrospective “The Learning Garden of Freedom”, and a conclusion of these events by the last part of the trilogy the "Contract".
The delegation of the EP's Committee on Culture and Education consisted of Chairwoman S. Verheyen (European People's Party, Germany) and MEPs Niyazi Kizilyürek ("Left", Cyprus), Marcos Ros Sempere (Socialists and Democrats, Spain), Tomasz Frankowski (European People's Party, Poland), Maria Walsh (European People's Party, Ireland) and Irena Joveva ("Renew Europe", Slovenia).
Photos by Gražvydas Jovaiša
July in Kaunas: Weekly festivals and cultural immersion
Halfway through its year as the European Capital of Culture, Kaunas show no signs of slowing down as July becomes jam-packed with incredible festivals, breath-taking exhibitions, and live performances. Initiatives and events have been organised by local communities and cultural centres showcasing the very best of Kaunasian culture throughout the city.
Visitors are invited to speak with artists and historians at the city telling festival, where the city focuses on forgotten tales of its past. Nature lovers can meet with likeminded people at ‘A Forest for the senses’ Those interested in auditory experiences do not want to miss out on Kaunas this July. The city is hosting its 5th annual Piano Fest with international artists, free concerts every day and music masterclasses. There’s something for everyone this July in Kaunas, read below to discover more.
Exhibition Marilla Destot's "Journey"
The exhibition "The Journey" by the French artist Marilia Destot explores themes of memory and its poetic nature and fragility. The exhibition presents recent artistic projects that utilise a variety of techniques. Destot explores the historical roots of her family in Lithuania and their Jewish heritage by recreating memories activated by imagination.
When: July 14 - 28 August
Where: LSMU Emanuel Levin Centre
City Telling Festival - Public Installation “Slenkstis”
First launched in 2019, City Telling Festival brings together artists, museum and theatre professionals, librarians, and both amateur and professional history enthusiasts. During the project, residents and businesses in the city centre are invited to "accept" a mezuzah created by artist Jyll Bradley, an element of Jewish heritage. A metaphor for individual personal light, anyone who has accepted a mezuzah can contribute. Bradleys art is a stylised object of glass and wood, in which the visual identity of the mezuzah is preserved instead of the traditional roll. With that, the artist seeks to bring the symbol of the mezuzah back to the streets of Kaunas, where many Jews once lived.
When: July 17
Partners: Kaunas Jewish Community
Marina Abramović's Exhibition "Memory of Being"
One of the most highly anticipated art events in all of Lithuania is the exhibition "Memory of Being" by Marina Abramović. Presented exclusively for the first time in the city of Kaunas, Abramović is one of the most famous performance artists in the world. The exhibition offers a detailed presentation of artworks by Abramović from the 1960s to today. The collection also draws attention in a unique form – for the first time, it is prepared as an impressive video installation from selected documentaries and films of the artist's performances.
When: Closing July 30th
Where: Kaunas Picture Gallery
Organiser: Art Park Gallery "Meno parkas"
The Great Ship of Culture: "Nemuno7"
"Nemuno7" is a unique river art and landscape design project in Europe that will serve as a public cultural space. The project combines the history of technology, heritage and contemporary architecture for local residents, and it will become a new place of attraction in Kaunas district. This year the ship is a space for the exhibition "Fluid bodies" and the permanent exhibition "To thrive and to flourish".
When: II - V 16:00 - 20:00 VI - VII 12:00 - 20:00
Where: Left bank of the River Nemunas in Zapyškis, Kaunas District
Organisers: VšĮ "Ars Futuri"
Tickets: here
Kaunas 2022 Summer stage
Throughout the Summer season, the heart of Kaunas Old Town – the Town Hall Square – will beat with the rhythm of culture. Residents and guests of Kaunas will be delighted by the most memorable musical performances, literature readings and food tastings presented on the Summer stage of “Kaunas 2022”.From May to September, you may enjoy weekends of a carefully prepared artistic program and hundreds of free events showcasing the best Lithuanian and foreign music performers This month on Summer stage expect: Monsieur Doumani (CY), Theodore (GR), THE ROOP (LT), Elektro Guzzi (AT), Jurga Šeduikytė (LT).
When: All Summer
Where: Kaunas Town Hall Square
Organiser: "Kaunas 2022"
Events are free
Further Information could be found here.
Exhibition "Kaunas – Vilnius: Moving Mountains"
Kaunas and Vilnius, Vilnius and Kaunas. The largest cities in Lithuania. Competing, disagreeing, but also in need of each other. The pride and superstitions that have filled the life of Vilnius and Kaunas hide the truth – indeed, these cities need each other. This is told by the exhibition "Kaunas–Vilnius: Moving Mountains" taking place at the MO Museum in Vilnius and Kaunas City Museum at the same time. Would you like to see the entire exhibition? Then get ready to visit both cities!
When: 23 April – 28 August
Where: Temporary M. K. Čiurlionis Gallery in Kaunas, MO Museum in Vilnius
Organiser: Kaunas City Museum, MO Museum
Further Information could be found here.
Exhibition "1972: Breaking through the Wall"
We are sure that this exhibition will touch every visitor. Kaunas will open its heart like never before. The exhibition "1972: Breaking the Wall" will take the viewer to the communities of people who disobeyed and resisted the system of the 1960s and 1970s: youth rock bands, actors of drama and pantomime from Kaunas, rebellious hippies, modern artists of Kaunas and Vilnius. Paintings, photographs and films, documentary testimonies of musical life, youth fashion of this period and other artefacts tell about alternative culture and non-Soviet way of life in Soviet Lithuania.
When: Closing August 31st
Where: Kaunas Central Post Office
Organiser: "Kaunas 2022"
Tickets: on site
Further Information could be found here.
As Summer heats up be sure to always carry sunscreen and the Kaunas 2022 app on your phone. That way, you will always keep up to date with the remaining whirlpool of cultural events. Audra Festival, the recent 5-day spectracal shattered stereotypes and demonstrated a modern contemporary city. Get closer to brilliant artists and watch out for more fantastic exhibitions such as: Čiurlionis National Museum of Art hosts "That Which We Do Not Remember" exhibition by William Kentridge, and Yoko Ono's installation "Ex It" at the Bank of Lithuania. As every year, a variety of performers will gather at the Pažaislis Music Festival: from jazz to opera, from a quartet to a symphony orchestra. The European Capital of Culture continues to strive forwards in its pledge, bringing art and culture together.
Basque pop, Alaskan acapella, Contemporary Circus and a Rap Orchestra on the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage in July
Kaunas, Lithuania has already got used to the cultural and not at all boring routine of this season - Thursday to Sunday evenings are spent in the Town Hall Square. The Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage will run here until autumn, hosting concerts by the most interesting Lithuanian artists and the most exotic bands from all over the world, as well as performing arts, talks and other activities. July will kick off with the Audra Festival weekend in the heart of Kaunas Old Town and end with melodic bedroom pop from the Basque Country.
The Old Town to be Taken by Storm
The first contemporary city festival Audra, which will take place at the turn of June and July, will visit some of the most unexpected spaces in Kaunas - from the historic taxi park and metal factory to galleries, cafés and even the Oak Grove. Of course, the festival, dedicated to Kaunas 2022’s youth programme “Emerging Kaunas”, will not bypass the Old Town either. On 1-3 July, the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage will host an exclusive Audra programme. On Friday, young musicians Saulės Dievas, P404, Nouvelle and Stotis will be the first to unleash the thunder of rock, grunge and alt-pop genres in the Town Hall Square. A Serbian play will be performed on Saturday, followed by a discussion. On Sunday, 3 July, esports will take over the stage, with a daytime programme by the Iron Wolves team and the innovative entertainment, new media and community network Trys Kubai.
From Cyprus to France
The second weekend of July at the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage is symbolically dedicated to musical journeys. Thanks to the European Commission’s EMEE project, which brings together the continent’s music export offices, a band from Cyprus, Monsieur Domani, will visit the city on 7 July. As The Guardian reported, they are one of the most entertaining, confident and inventive groups in the scene. The trio, which has performed worldwide, takes inspiration from contemporary Cyprus but also draws on the musical traditions of their island.
Also at the invitation of EMEE, the Greek singer Theodore, who started his musical career in London, will perform in Kaunas on 9 July. Classical and electronic keyboards, ambient and minimal moods, waves of drums and guitars - Theodore adds his haunting vocal to the experience.
From different parts of the globe, rising piano talents will flock to Kaunas Piano Fest in July, bringing classical masterpieces to life with a fresh sound. The festival will open on 8 July with the world premiere
of a unique arrangement of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, performed by Monika Mašanauskaitė, Robertas Lozinskis, Žilvinas Brazauskas and Peter Fleckenstein.
On 10 July, the French Rémi Panossian Trio will wrap up the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage weekend. The trio have just released an album called “Happy Birthdé!” on the occasion of their 12th birthday. This humorous trio are emblems of French jazz abroad, spreading their energy and chilled groves around the globe from Uruguay to Tokyo.
Contemporary Circus and Eurovision Participants
If you associate Europe's biggest song contest with the Ukrainian hit “Stefania”, it's time to rewind the timeline and remember the moves you used to know well. Kaunas 2022 ambassadors THE ROOP will undoubtedly be performing both of their Eurovision highlights, On Fire and Discoteque, at the concert on Thursday, 14 July. The band’s night in Kaunas will also be a great chance to hear what they are contemplating today.
An international troupe from Lithuania - that’s how you can introduce Kanta Company, contemporary circus professionals. Their performance “Clothes and Us” opened last year’s Cirkuliacija Festival and now the group is preparing a special programme to catch the attention of the little ones in Kaunas Old Town on 16th of July. The show will feature a Chinese pole, aerial silks, clowning and juggling!
Techno, rap or Rock?
You don’t have to choose one, as all three genres will be live on the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage in one weekend in July. On 21 July, the European Capital of Culture will welcome Elektro Guzzi from Austria, playing analogue techno music on guitar, bass and drums. The Viennese are convinced that playing techno is not a crime.
The most colourful Lithuanian hip-hop collective Despotin’ Fam, whose members bring musical influences from Australia and Berlin, will be changing the techno mood into rap rhythms. “The group that cemented the leaders of the scene” is one of the apt descriptions of the collective that has been playing for two decades and is often presented as a rap orchestra. “Despotin’ Fam” will arrive in Kaunas on 22 July.
On 23 July, guitars will take over again on the Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage. Hailing from Šiauliai, the city called Lithuanian Manchester, Colours of Bubbles always presents rock in a modern and unboring way - their music is not only heard on the theatre stage but also with an orchestra. What’s in store in Kaunas? First of all, the fans that have missed them!
More International Highlights as August Approaches
What does an acapella sound like in Alaska? What can beatboxing teach you? The answers to these questions might be heard on the summer stage on 28 July, when two bands from across the Atlantic visit Kaunas at the invitation of the US Embassy in Lithuania. The Pipeline Vocal Band, a female trio from the state of Alaska, is a group that puts a unique twist on well-known favourites from all eras, whether it’s crossing decades or genres. And Freedom’s Boombox is a group of globe-trotting performers who have travelled to every continent (except Antarctica), teaching along the way, touring with the Backstreet Boys, and developing a widespread following.
On Friday, 29 July, another European Capital of Culture project ambassador, Jurga Šeduikytė, will climb to the Kaunas 2022 summer stage. This summer, the Lithuanian singer is travelling around Lithuania, visiting her fans in various locations, and even singing in Ukrainian - also, this season marks the 17th anniversary of her cult song “Don’t be afraid”.
The Basque project Oki Moki is the last guest of the second and penultimate month of summer in Kaunas. Lo-fi pop, bedroom pop, punk-soul pop - the trio doesn’t shy away from labelling themselves with ironic epithets that reveal the lightness and unpretentiousness of their music. Catch them at the Town Hall Square on 30 July.
All Kaunas 2022 Summer Stage events are free of charge. Concerts and other events at Kaunas Town Hall Square are planned until autumn.
The European Capital of Culture programme in Kaunas and the Kaunas Region continues throughout the year, with hundreds of traditional and debut events planned for 2022, including exhibitions, festivals, performances and other activities created by local and international artists and Kaunas communities. For the full Kaunas 2022 programme, visit www.kaunas2022.eu or the mobile app.
Rap fashion designer Ruth Peterson will present her clothing collection at the AUDRA festival
Kaunas has been living in a full cultural rhythm since the beginning of the year, and on June 29, one can expect to reach the apogee of cultural experiences: the city will be covered by the Storm festival activities and the expression of various types of art - from quality music, contemporary art, dance to the presentation of design works. The latter, a design genre, will be presented by a young and highly talented British designer, Ruth Peterson. The clothes created by the artist are inseparable from music: the first clothing collection was immediately noticed by rap music performers, and because of that Ruth was called a rap fashion designer. The debut collection t has become a real springboard to success: rap artists such as SKEPTA are adorned with their clothes, and the first collection was presented at one of the biggest fashion events for young talent - The Graduate Fashion Week Gala.
Clothing designer Ruth Peterson will come to Kaunas and present her work in the framework of the Storm festival on July 1st in the fashion show “The Residence”: during the presentation, it will be possible to see the clothes of the debut collection and the new collection, which has never been seen before. We’re talking to Ruth Peterson herself about the path to the fashion world, the rap fashion these days, and what kind of message we’d like to convey to young creators.
Ruth, in a few days you’ll visit Lithuania for the first time. Do you know something about Lithuania, Kaunas? Some interesting facts or something like that?
I think my dad told me that in Kaunas lives a monster (Kaunas Beast - Editor’s note), obviously as my brand is horror-inspired, I was a bit excited about that. And I really like it!
Your first collection was inspired by the famous movie “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. It’s a horror movie. Why did you’ve chosen the horror genre?
I think with horror films, it's like even if people don't necessarily like them or they're scared, there's something that's quite endearing or something that captures you. If a new horror film comes out in the cinema, then everyone goes to see it just because they want the thrill. I thought it was quite fun to kind of bring that into clothing just to keep people excited a bit.
And are you a lover of horror movies?
I actually scared very easily and I jump a lot (laugh)! But what I love about horror genre movies is there are always loads of hidden meanings. For example, if you watch it the second time, there are more
things that you find out. So I think I like the detective work behind it. I like layers and twists and things like that.
Ruth, please tell us about yourself. How did your career in the fashion industry has started and where are you now?
I started getting into fashion when I was in school. When I was a kid, I used to try and draw wedding dresses or whatever, and then as I got a little bit older, I asked my dad if I could spend my free periods in school with a tailor so that I could learn how to do things. I wanted to be a tailor but thought it may be too specialised at such a young age and decided to study fashion first. Now I combine my knowledge of the two.
Here, in Lithuania, you are presented as a rap fashion designer. Do you agree with this definition? Or maybe you would like to be just called a designer, without a narrow area.
To be honest, the way that I want to go with my brand is to collaborate with different artists to create iconic pieces that they can perform in. I guess there's an element where rap artists were really interested in what I was doing. I think because it was different but without being like too over the top. It was quite subtle and people liked that. The thing with rap artists is that a lot of their music is inspired by a lot of external references - like movies, and poetry... They reference things and my clothing reference things, that's why it kind of went hand in hand. But yes, there are definitely sides of the business where I want to appeal to working with celebrities and artists to do custom pieces and then obviously their followers are kind of the rest of my target market. I don't want to be exclusive, I do aim to be inclusive. But I do also like to collaborate with kind of hip hop artists and rock artists because I listen to their work.
Could you describe how the trends of rap/hip-hop fashion changed from the - the ’90s when the rap culture was blooming and booming? What trends/brands define rap fashion nowadays?
I think men have become a lot more open to experimenting with different styles. With streetwear, there is a lot less of a divide between women and men. And I think men are being a lot more open to wearing more feminine things. Even when I started designing at University, I saw a lot bigger, baggier silhouettes - which I still love, but now, there’s been a lot more experimentation with silkier fabrics, prints or flared jeans. There's a lot more than you can do now and I think it has changed a lot. It also depends on the artist themselves as part of the artists’ brand is their styling.
I’ve noticed that several times you have mentioned the importance of references. What kind of references we cand find in your clothing? What is inspiring you?
I think I use my clothing as a social commentary: I'll see things that are going on in society at the minute and then juxtapose them with some horror films that I've been inspired by. In the past, I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the idea of consumerism - the irony being that fashion is a huge part of it.
Recently there’s been a big movement in positivity and mental health. So actually, some of the phrases that I've used in the collection that I'm going to show in Kaunas will link to that. Even though I'm inspired by horror films, quotes like - “I'm not scared!”, are more mean “I'm going to put myself out there”. I see it as a light-hearted spin phrase you might say when watching a horror movie but also with a powerful message behind it.
Let's talk about Kaunas. You will present your works at the festival AUDRA/Storm in Kaunas at the end of June. What we can expect - if it will be your debut collection of design works or we can expect new ones? In what form we’ll see your clothes?
It will be a part of the fashion show so models will be wearing that. I'm still making some new pieces at the minute, that I'll be showing at Kaunas and it will be the first time anyone has seen this work, so
it's brand new. I've used some of the old prints and things that I've got but there are a lot of new things, therefore, I'm excited about it.
Where are you now - can we expect a new collection in a near future? Are you planning collaborations with brands and music artists?
I've got one collaboration coming up, I will not reveal it now because I would like to keep it exciting. I'm also bringing out a fun but educational video series called “Truth with Ruth” it's for advice for designers or people who want to start brands on the hurdles that you might face with an expert’s view. It is a mini-series covering topics like how to find motivation, protecting your work (with a lawyer) and then about production and what it really costs and how much it goes into it. Just because I feel like there wasn't a lot of help around that when I started and I think not as many people talk about it so that's going to come out next month as well.
Thank you, Ruth. Looking forward to seeing you in Kaunas!
The programme of the Audra Contemporary City Festival is co-produced by the youth organisation "Kylantis Kaunas", "Freimas" and the team of the nightclub "Lizdas", together with Kaunas - European Capital of Culture 2022, Pažaislis Music Festival, Kaunas City Chamber Theatre, various partners from Japan, Greece, Serbia, France, Germany, Estonia, Finland and other European countries.
Interview author: Vaida Morkūnaitė
OPTIMISMO Festival in Kaunas Aims at Strengthening the Link Between the Urban Past and the Sounds of the Future
OPTIMISMO is a new electronic and experimental music event that will take place in Kaunas, in a former industrial quarter and other sites in the city on 3-5 June 2022. It is presented by Kaunas - European Capital of Culture 2022 and its Modernism for the Future programme, which aims to activate an emotional connection with the past and its monuments that have survived to this day.
How can we talk about positive things when the world around us is turning upside down, ideals are falling apart, meanings are changing, and we can no longer communicate? In the 19th century Bialystok, a melting pot of nations, the Polish-born Litvak Ludwik Lazaris Zamenhof searched for very similar answers. In his environment, conflicts between the ethnic groups living there broke out almost every day - the boy understood early on what happens when people cannot get along because they don’t talk to each other.
It was the idea of Esperanto, created by a man who also lived in Kaunas, that became the springboard for the creation of the city’s new festival OPTIMISMO, where the historical past and industrial heritage interact harmoniously with contemporary experimental and electronic music that is soaked with future. The optimism was shared between the Esperanto linguist and the creators of Kaunas, a city that grew sevenfold before WW2, and the belief in a more prosperous, friendlier future.
Optimism as a way to Move Forward
Kaunas’ fast pace a century ago was driven by the ambition to build a better, more vibrant and exciting future. To build with a fresh and functional modernist approach. Times have changed, and concepts of the present and the future have changed, but optimism is still perhaps the only thing that holds our collective consciousness. The festival organisers were indeed inspired by the cultural phenomenon described extensively by historian Marija Drėmaitė and colleagues in the exhibition and the accompanying book bearing the same name.
OPTIMISMO is a joint creation of two Lithuanian electronic music organisations - Digital Tsunami, which curates international events and the label of the same name, and Ghia, which finds inspiration in the industrial body of Kaunas.
“Writing about music is as difficult as dancing about architecture,” a phrase attributed to many creators, also found a place in the thinking about the OPTIMISMO programme, its setting and the artists who will come to the European Capital of Culture from many countries across Europe and the world, including Lithuania. The musical programme of the event will bring together different experiences and invite one to participate, listen and grow your understanding of sound, space and technological possibilities.
Guests of OPTIMISMO and their urban stories
Every piece of art and its creator is inseparable from a context. Thus the guests of OPTIMISMO are presented to the public not just by short musical biographies but also by their relationship with homelands and other urban contexts.
We are looking forward to discussing the importance and meaning of colonial architectural heritage, namely cinemas, in Angola with Nazar, who returned to his native country only when the 27-year Angolan civil war ended in 2002. The artist’s creative world centres around the extreme violence, injustice and omnipresence of a repressive state during and after the, while exploring hope, resilience and pride in a country torn apart by conflict.
Just as modernist architecture became an optimistic way of life and growth for Kaunas, the new yet temporary capital of reborn Lithuania, after WW1, a similar process took place in the Philippines a couple of decades later, after WW2. In the post-colonial period, the Filipino architects not only took on the pure surfaces and precise forms of modern architecture but infused the structural decisions with national elements. Thus, globally recognised architecture that still bears the national spirit is indeed a common thing between the Philippines and Lithuania.
Interestingly enough, Corin, the Filipina-Australian electronic producer, composer and performer working in performance art, sound design, theatre and club spaces, has become interested in her cultural connections to the Philippines, her mother’s birthplace and the landscape connected to it. “I’ve already begun to hear how it influences my creative output. Over the next year, I hope to produce an entire album which explores this connection”, said Corin in her recent interview with 15questions.
Yet another guest of OPTIMISMO is based in Shanghai. Osheyack is an integral member of the city’s electronic music scene that centres around ALL Club. The venue itself is located in a fascinating area near Changle Lu, a historic road in what was the French Concession between 1849 and 1943. In the 1920s, it was considered a premier residential area of Shanghai. Among new residential buildings also rose shikumen, a local architectural phenomenon – a cultural blend of the elements found in Western architecture with traditional Lower Yangtze architecture and social behaviour.
A half-Polish, half-Malian Parisian who occasionally enjoys Hungarian songs – these and more elements all add to the unique talent that calls himself Bambounou. On top of everything, he has just announced a new EP in the form of a wax candle sculpture of his body. ‘La Sagrada’, the artist says, was inspired by the beauty of La Sagrada Familia’s unfinished architecture in Barcelona, Spain.
Krikor (FR), Nick Klein (US/NL), Black Zone Myth Chant (FR), Animistic Beliefs (NL), and Pandora’s Jukebox (UK) are among the other names already announced in the OPTIMISMO program. More artists are to be revealed soon, as well as another exciting location for the festival.
Follow www.optimismo.eu for up-to-date news, tickets and other information. The design of the website and the visual aesthetics of the festival were also inspired by the modernist heritage of Kaunas. The design department consists of Tadas Bujanauskas and Aistė Ambrazevičiūtė.
“CulturEUkraine”, a cultural-creative space for Ukrainians, opens in Kaunas: here we will find each other
The creative-cultural space “CulturEUkraine", aimed to help Ukrainian people, who are fleeing the war and choosing Kaunas as their temporary home, was opened and presented to the public yesterday in Kaunas, in the historic Central Post Office. On the opening day, the premises of the Centre were a hive of activities: various organisations, artists, health experts and other initiatives providing and organising support for Ukraine, as well as the citizens and the first members of the emerging community – Ukrainian citizens – came to visit the Centre. In the evening, the opening of the Centre was marked by a “blue and yellow" solidarity concert featuring Lithuanian and Ukrainian performers.
As previously announced by one of the main initiators and creators of this Centre – the representatives of the European Capital of Culture “Kaunas 2022” – this Centre aims to provide a space and a place where people who have fled the war could continue their creative activities, seek inspiration and opportunities for new ones, and to simply meet, communicate, and find a bright emotional haven, which is, for the moment, of vital importance to the people that are exhausted by the horrors of war.
The Centre was visited by those who want to help and the first members of the community on the opening day
On the opening day, the 3rd floor of the Kaunas Central Post Office, which is planned to house open spaces for creativity and collaboration, art therapy sessions, communication, and educational activities, was a hive of activities: various organisations and initiatives gathered here to inform, help and support Ukraine and its people. The new Centre was also full of citizens who wanted to contribute to the creation of the Centre in various ways.
The well-known big organisations, including the Lithuanian Red Cross Society, Save the Children, and the Order of Malta Relief Service, took part in the contact fair and provided advice and information to all those who wanted to help or volunteer to join the support activities.
The representatives of the Kaunas Faculty of the Vilnius Academy of Arts were invited to join painting activities and practice art therapy. According to the organisers of this activity, it is not only a leisure activity but also an activity that enhances emotional well-being, which gives art therapy even more value and meaning.
The representatives of “CulturEUkraine” emphasized that the aim is to have a place for everyone - from the biggest to the smallest, so both when planning future activities and on the opening day, a lot of attention was paid to children – they were entertained by colourful animators, who met the small ones and their mothers at the entrance of the Centre, and invited them to engage in dynamic, educational activities.
The modernist-style premises offered many ways and forms to contribute to the financial support for Ukraine through the purchase of merchandise: “Kaunas 2022” invited to buy T-shirts supporting Ukraine that are decorated with drawings by the children of the Hero's School, and the stand of Kaunas Artists' House offered brooches with a sunflower motif carrying a symbolic meaning.
The community of Ukrainians in Kaunas: this is a space for our self-realisation and preservation of culture
The opening event was also attended by members of the Ukrainian community, who welcomed the idea of the Centre and confirmed the need for such a place. Volodimir Vasilenko, one of the representatives of the community, stated that this is a space for their self-realisation.
"For a long time, we didn't have a physical space where we could simply meet and talk, which made it difficult to build and develop the community as such. We are happy that we will have a space for self-realization, which will make it possible to learn languages and organize other cultural activities. It is a possibility for us to find each other and preserve our culture," Vasilenko spoke about the meaning of "CulturEUkraine".
"The Blue and Yellow" concert featured exciting performances and sent a strong message: Ukraine will stand
The opening of the Centre in the spaces around the Post Office, which was decorated by blue-and-yellow lights, was marked by a gesture of solidarity: a joint concert of Lithuanian and Ukrainian artists took place on the stage on the pavement of Laisvės Boulevard.
The concert was opened with the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem by Kiril Dernovoj, an 11-year-old Ukrainian who arrived in Lithuania several weeks ago. Kiril, who showed his powerful voice and firm posture on stage, touched many people’s hearts – the audience greeted the little Ukrainian with applause and shouted “Slava Ukraini".
Another performance by Ukrainians – a trio of musicians coming from various parts of Ukraine, who had just met a few hours earlier and who didn’t know each other until the morning of the performance day – was also very exciting. A flawless instrumental performance of classical works by the trio of Kondratyeva Olga Mikhailovna (violin), Nekh Nikita Alexandrovich (violin), Radkova Natalia Stanislavovna (violin) delighted the audience.
The 3rd Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy to the Republic of Lithuania, Elena Kuzmenchuk, in her short but strong speech on the stage thanked Lithuania for its support and conveyed a clear message that Ukraine and its people, showing their strength, will withstand any difficulties.
The concert also featured Lithuanian artists: songs by Šarukas Joneikis (member of the band “Garbanotas”), Clara Giambino, electronic music performer Mesijus and mathematical rock band “jautì” were performed.
The opening of the Centre is just the first step toward further activities
During the closing ceremony, Virginija Vitkienė, Head of “Kaunas 2022”, emphasised that the opening of the Centre is only the first firm step towards big, sometimes full of challenges, works. Activities for Ukrainians will start here next week and registration is open now in this form.
The curators of the “CulturEUkraine” space remind that citizens are still actively invited to contribute to the creation of the Centre by donating essential household items, especially IT devices - computers, monitors, tablets, etc. We invite you to register any items you have that you would like to donate to the Centre here.
The report was prepared by Vaida Morkūnaitė
Photo author Martynas Plepys
A space to create: Kaunas to open a cultural centre empowering Ukrainians to create
As Lithuania is hosting increasingly more people of Ukraine fleeing the atrocities of war, public organizations and individuals are actively contributing to various forms of initiatives for support. One of them is the cultural field, therefore, on Thursday, March 17, “Kaunas 2022”, along with its partners, is inviting visitors to Kaunas Central Post Office where a cultural-creative space “CulturEUkraine”, dedicated to the creators and artists of Ukraine who have chosen Kaunas as their temporary home, will be opened. It is planned that organizations, communities, and other initiatives contributing to the support for the people of Ukraine will gather here.
Cultural support: a possibility to continue the work, a place to create and be visible in Europe
“Currently, all active civil initiatives, NGOs, and public institutions are joining forces and contributing to the safe arrival of Ukrainians, helping them find accommodation and providing them with the necessities. It is like a synergistic mechanism, in which the mission of Kaunas 2022 is to offer a cultural harbor, creative space, and visibility platform for creators from Ukraine,” Head of “Kaunas 2022” Virginija Vitkienė spoke of “CulturEUkraine” idea.
On 17 March the centre “CulturEUkraine” will be opened on the 3rd and 4th floor of Kaunas Central Post Office. It is planned that open spaces will be established here for creation and co-working, there will be zones for art therapy, communication, and spaces for exhibitions.
“We are striving to make this Centre a place where the voices of people of Ukraine and the news of Ukraine are heard across Europe. We hope that the creators who arrive here will be able to continue with their activities by maintaining relations both with the local artists and those who stayed in Ukraine. By providing support, it is important to ensure that their adaptation in our country is as smooth and emotionally easy as possible; therefore, we will create a possibility for them to continue their usual activities and to contribute with their creative solutions to make the war come to an end and to achieve Ukraine’s victory as soon as possible. The Centre “CulturEUkraine” will become a place to meet, communicate, create, relax or contact their relatives. We hope that various cultural partners, artists will settle down in the spaces of the Post Office. We will also contribute to the support in preparing exhibitions, meetings. Culture and creation help to overcome difficulties hence we expect that the project will contribute to the improvement of emotional wellbeing,” V. Vitkienė spoke.
Community support is essential for the establishment of the Cultural Centre
The organizers are inviting everybody to contribute to the creation of a cosier, more functional space.
“In the processes of creation and development of the “CulturEUkraine” space, the contribution of the business sector is especially important. Therefore we are inviting the representatives of both large and small businesses to help to make the cultural spaces cosier and lay the foundation for the birth of a new community. Of course, the support and involvement in the process of creation of this space of citizens of Kaunas are also very important. Without the energy brought together by the people, without their help, support, and ideas it would be impossible to reach these noble aims, so, the involvement of each person is very important,” one of the organizers of the initiative, “Kaunas 2022” sponsorship manager Irutė Tumaitė said.
The representatives of this creative space emphasize that, currently, the most needed are the items that would help to equip a quality place for creation; and later on, once the project gains momentum, the contribution and support of the society and business could be expressed in other forms, i.e. by organizing activations, educational, well-being activities for the community.
“The most necessary items now are various household appliances – from lamps, lights, heaters, mirrors, furniture for sitting and writing, inventory for children (toys, puzzles) to those used for household chores – brooms, vacuum-cleaners, kitchenware, cutlery, and small appliances,” I. Tumaitė said.
The citizens of Kaunas are invited to bring the items to the premises of Kaunas Central Post Office from 11 March. The items will be accepted at Kaunas Central Post office (located at Laisvės al. 102, Kaunas) daily until 17 March, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you have large items, please contact us and we will collect them from your provided location (email for information [email protected])
An opening ceremony of the Cultural Centre for Ukraine, gathering of the support initiatives and hospitality concert to take place on March 17
On March 17 the creative space “CulturEUkraine” will be officially opened. Organizations and initiatives providing and organizing support for Ukraine will be established on the 3rd floor. Communication, getting information and contact will be possible from 4 to 8 p.m.
The aim of this gathering is to present all the relevant information about the activities that are organized to host the Ukrainians temporarily staying in Kaunas. It is also important to show that we stand together. Visitors will be able to purchase souvenirs, symbols, pieces of art here; a space of “Kaunas 2022” will be open here too.
Both inside the post office and around it, hospitality to Ukrainians will be shown: in the evening, the historical building will be lit by a symbolic combination of blue and yellow, and nearby – at the intersection of Laisvės Alėja and Kanto Street a live concert will be held to support Ukraine and its people.
Photo author Martynas Plepys
Kaunas – the grand cultural stage of Europe: what not to miss in March
Kaunas has become a huge European cultural stage; this year there will be more events taking place than there are days in a year. The boundless and borderless “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022” programme is flooding both the usual and the most unexpected spaces of Kaunas, and Kaunas district – the culture here is inescapable!
Here is a list of highlight events that will take place in Kaunas in March to plan your cultural experiences more easily. The organizers of Kaunas 2022 remind that you can easily find the detailed programme for the whole year on the website www.kaunas2022.eu or always have it at your fingertips in the mobile app KAUNAS 2022.
Events not to miss in March:
The International Day of Happiness, 20th of March
The last challenging years highlighted the importance of the people connection – our families, colleagues, neighbours, and other community members. Therefore, the organizers chose the slogan “Happiness to celebrate together” for the Day of Happiness in 2022 to announce that the biggest happiness is celebrating together – with people and among the people! This year the Day of Happiness invites us to share the moments of joy longer – the celebration, which starts on 20 of March, will continue during the whole weekend! Furthermore, an international congress “On happiness. Presuppositions 2022. Communities” will be held for the very first time.
Where: Different places in Kaunas
When: 20th of March
The event is free. The event is accessible to people with physical and intellectual disabilities and suitable for families with children. Pets are allowed at the event. More information: www.laimesdiena.lt/en
"Memory of Being", an exhibition by Marina Abramović
One of the most significant art events not only in Kaunas but also in the whole Lithuania, will be Memory of Being, a solo exhibition by Marina Abramović, one of the world’s most renowned artists, in Kaunas Picture Gallery. The exhibition provides a detailed presentation of the most important stages of Marina’s work since the 1960s. It will feature video documentations of her interviews and most famous works, as well as the artist’s best-known video installations. One of the exciting news for art lovers is also that the creator herself is coming to Lithuania to share her thoughts and ideas during a public meeting in Žalgiris Arena.
Where: Kaunas Picture Gallery, (K. Donelaičio str. 16, Kaunas)
When: 30th of March – 31st of July
Paid event
“That Which We Do Not Remember”, an exhibition by William Kentridge
One of the world’s most influential contemporary artists, an honest and painfully candid humanist whose exhibitions are coveted by the best galleries in the world, is bringing his art to Eastern Europe for the first time to open the most significant show of the Kaunas 2022 programme. The exhibition at the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art, That Which We Do Not Remember, will compel you to forget stereotypes. In this exhibition, Kentridge addresses humanity’s selective memory. The rejection of facts, history, and memories as a means of self-preservation or a propaganda tool is just as common a characteristic among people in Johannesburg and Rome as it is in Kaunas, says Kentridge, and calls us to dialogue with ourselves.
Where: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio str. 55)
When: Until 30th of November
The event is accessible to people with physical disabilities. Paid event. You can get the tickets here
„Modernism for the Future 360/365“, an international exhibition
Launched on the opening weekend of Kaunas 2022, this exhibition is an extraordinary report about the Modernism for the Future Programme. Over twenty artists from five countries spread their relationship with architectural heritage and its fate in contemporary European cities, such as Kaunas, at the iconic Kaunas Central Post Office. The exhibition encourages current residents and owners of modernist buildings to treasure their property and motivate the city to take pride in this legacy and present it to visitors and tourists. With this exhibition, Kaunas takes the lead in the modernism preservation movement and finally establishes itself as a centre of world research, promotion, and attraction of modernism in the world. The significance of Kaunas as a centre of global modernism will be one of the most important and enduring achievements long after the European Capital of Culture project comes to a close.
Where: iconic Kaunas Central Post Office (Laisvės alėja 102)
When: Until 10th of April
The event is accessible to people with physical disabilities. Paid event. You can get the tickets here
“Stories of the House”, an exhibition
The historical palace commonly known as the residence of the Presidents of Lithuania (1919–1940) has reshaped itself. Time portals will take you to seven epochs: the Governor’s Palace, the Ober Ost Commander’s residence, the Presidential Palace, the house of the Supreme Council Presidium, Nazi Headquarters, the Teachers’ House, and the revived historical palace. The motley list of its residents and visitors includes Tsars, Kaisers, military commanders, artists, and even a Pope! The palace is as if a crossroads of the history of Kaunas and entire Europe. The new exhibition will surprise city residents and its guests: here, history can be seen, heard, touched, smelled…
Where: Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania in Kaunas (Vilniaus str. 33)
When: Until 15th of July
Paid event
Kino Pavasaris Pop-up Cinema: „Pilgrims“ are coming back home
With the International Vilnius Film Festival “Kino Pavasaris” approaching (start on the 24th of March), exclusive screenings of “Pilgrims” (directed by Laurynas Bareiša) – a crime drama that won the Venice film festival lion – will be waiting for Lithuanian cinema lovers. For the film’s Lithuanian premiere, “Kino Pavasaris” will build a pop-up cinema in Karmėlava, the town in Kaunas District featured in “Pilgrims”. The team will also present an immersive guide of filming locations around town.
Where: Karmėlava, Kaunas district
When: from 17th of March
Paid event
“ARNO FUNKtionalism”, an exhibition
This exhibition is dedicated to one of the city’s most renowned interwar architects, engineers, and masters of interior design, Arnas Funkas (1898–1957). Funkas introduced the principles of functionalism to residential and public architecture and designed numerous representative examples of the style in Lithuania. This show will present Funkas’ work and explore the principles of interior and building architecture prevalent in his time and which became a unique feature of Kaunas, representing the city’s architectural landscape.
Where: A. and P. Galaunė house-museum (Vydūno al. 2)
When: Until the 1st of July
Paid event
Interview with Jon Hendricks, curator of Yoko Ono’s installation Ex It
Jon Hendricks is one of the originators, researchers, and curators in the history of the Fluxus movement. He is the curator of the Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection. This essential collection of the Fluxus art movement began to be compiled in 1977 and was later donated to MoMA in 2008, where it is currently housed. A small part of the collection is exhibited in the George Maciunas Fluxus Cabinet at the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius. Hendricks organized a host of major important Fluxus exhibitions and produced pioneering scholarly publications on the movement.
Jon Hendricks is also the curator of Yoko Ono’s retrospective exhibition The Learning Garden of Freedom, opening in Kaunas this year in September.
The Fluxus art movement was crucial to the radical shift in the understanding of art in different parts of the world starting in the sixties. Fluxus manifestos, numerous artworks, and instructions on how to make them circulated intensely for many years among artists in the United States, Europe and Japan, in a network coordinated largely by the founder of the movement, architect and designer George Maciunas (Jurgis Mačiūnas), a Lithuanian émigré. Having originated in New York, the movement was directed against the rigid, elitist and ‘overly self-important’ artistic system of art schools, museums, and concerts of “serious” music, which refused any kind of levity, spontaneity and play. Yoko Ono began her artistic journey together with the Fluxus artists. You started your career as an artist.
You learned about Fluxus at the very beginning of the movement and eventually got involved as a curator and researcher, still having close links with it to this day. How did it all start and what attracted you to Fluxus?
It was a radical movement, and it was precisely its radicalism that got me fascinated. I found out about Fluxus quite early. By the way, my brother Geoffrey Hendricks was one of the Fluxus artists. At that time, I already knew other artists from the movement. But my deeper interest in it began in 1976, when Barbara Moore and I opened the Backworks bookshop. I didn’t have a job back then and the bookstore first opened in my house. We were selling contemporary artists’ books, publications and Fluxus works.
We ran the bookshop ourselves, but as you can guess, it didn’t bring much profit. Barbara and her husband Peter Moore were well acquainted with Fluxus. Peter was an important photographer and was also capturing Fluxus performances. They knew George Maciunas, who agreed to sell his Fluxus works, and we helped him. Thus, I became friends with George as well. Around the same time, Gilbert Silverman invited me to curate his and his wife Lila’s Fluxus collection. I was afraid that working in a bookshop and curating a private collection at the same time might cause some conflict, so I chose working on the collection. Gilbert was a very progressive and adventurous collector. Together we assembled a very large Fluxus collection, which is now housed in MoMA. For multiple reasons, this collection is now considered the most important Fluxus collection of all. That was the beginning of my involvement with Fluxus.
You collaborate with Yoko Ono (b. 1933) and curate her exhibitions to this day. Tell us about your experience of working with her.
I met Yoko Ono a very long time ago, maybe in 1965 or 1966. I curated an exhibition of hers, titled The Stone, when I was working at the Judson Gallery located in a functional church of the same name. Later Yoko left for Europe, and I didn’t see her for quite a while, but when she came back our friendship continued. Working with Yoko is an incredibly wonderful experience. She is very ingenious and has a very special way of thinking. She would come up with new ideas in a flash. For instance, she was invited to participate in an exhibition in Finland related to snow and during dinner she immediately had an idea for an artwork: ICE PRISON. Melting ice liberates. She is very quick to have great ideas.
Yoko Ono’s work, related to social and political activism, touches on freedom, equality, women’s rights, and other topics that were used to promote society’s awareness. How do you see her work is presented to society today? Why is it important to get to know Yoko Ono’s work today?
It’s really a pity, but nothing has changed since her works were created and presented for the first time. Of course, there has been some progress in terms of women’s rights. But we still have a very long way ahead of us. And we can even feel it in our daily lives. When women walk down the street, they hear men whistling at them, not to mention the violence that women experience every day. One example is Yoko Ono’s piece ARISING which she first presented in Venice, with a bonfire made from a moulage of women’s bodies later lit in the centre of the piece, displayed together with a collection of real testimonials of violence and abuse experienced by women. I think this work is very powerful and we have shown it many times, continuing to collect further testimonials. This piece is no less relevant today.
The artist’s installation Ex It, now presented in Kaunas, features 100 coffins of different sizes with pine and birch trees growing out of them. Why are you starting the presentation of the artist’s work with this particular piece?
The installation Ex It illustrates a great disaster, but there is also hope here. Maybe not in this lifetime yet, but there is hope. Everybody dies, we just don’t know when I’m going to die, or when you’re going to die. Some deaths are inevitable, such as the ones that have been taken by the recent tsunami caused by a volcanic eruption. But others are avoidable. For instance, deaths caused by wars. This installation will still be important for a long time to come. Maybe people will associate it with the tsunami I mentioned, maybe with other natural disasters, maybe with the current state of the world, maybe with wars. Yoko doesn’t want to explicitly state and dictate what people should see in this installation, what kind of disaster it implies. As in all of her works, there is a lot of space for the viewer’s imagination.
How did you decide to exhibit this installation in the premises of a bank? The actually functioning bank and the banking operations happening in the same space as the installation create a strong additional field of associations and meanings for the piece.
This space was suggested by CAC director Kęstutis Kuizinas, although the initial idea was to place it elsewhere. It is usually exhibited in gallery spaces, but we have also presented it in a church and outside a cemetery. The bank space adds even more different meanings. I think this space is very suitable for the installation. Equally important is the beautiful architecture of the building. But at the same time, I believe that any space can be fitting to present this installation. And all spaces would bring their own meanings because all spaces are charged with different symbols. The installation will change a little bit soon when the trees start leafing out. And after the installation closes, it will continue living, as the trees spread across the city. We will plant them ourselves or invite people to plant them in their parks and gardens.
Dovilė Grigaliūnaitė
Storm is going to hit Kaunas, Lithuania: urban culture, art and techno provocations with Audra festival
This year Kaunas, Lithuania has become the European Capital of Culture, and to mark the occasion, the Lizdas nightclub has prepared a huge urban festival called AUDRA (eng. the Storm). Contemporary art installations, exhibitions, events and live performances scattered throughout the city's spaces will rock the streets of the European Capital of Culture for five days - 29 June - 3 July.
Concerts and parties in the spaces of Kaunas will be the core of the festival. The events will take place in huge public spaces such as Ąžuolynas Park, Santaka Park, the Soviet metal factory Pergalė and many other typical Eastern European urban spaces never before touched by a rave presence.
Some of the revealed names of the artists are Tommy Cash, VTSS, Hector Oaks, Helena Hauf, Call Super, Job Jobse, Arp Frique Family (Live), Identified Patient b2b Manfredas, Under Black Helmet, Azu Tiwaline, Mor Ellian, Dj Marcelle.
Lizdas nightclub is located just in the heart of the city and is well known to be one of the three most prominent dance music cultural hubs in Lithuania. Kaunas is the second biggest city in Lithuania famous for its art-deco architecture and complicated history as being the temporary Lithuanian capital for 20 years, during the interwar period. Later on, the country has been stuck under the iron curtain being occupied by the Soviet Union. The period has left the landscape full of dystopic soviet architecture, eerie neighbourhoods and Chernobyl-like abandoned factories (in some of them the festival is going to take place too).
The best way to get to Kaunas is by taking a plane to Kaunas Airport (KUN) or nearby Vilnius Airport (VNO). Tickets for the festival will be available on Thursday (February 3) on Resident Advisor.
More information about festival: www.audrafestival.com