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Your Time is My Time

Your Time is My Time
Book launch and discussion
26 July, 18.00
​Medūza Gallery
Šv. Jono g. 11, LT-01123 Vilnius

​In partnership with Syndicate and Autarkia

We are happy to invite you to the book launch of Your Time Is My Time at ​Medūza Gallery in Vilnius. The evening will unfold with a presentation of the book and a discussion led by JL Murtaugh. Participants in the discussion include Dorota Gawęda & Eglė Kulbokaitė, Sandra Skurvida, Merilin Talumaa and Annika Toots.

Future book presentations will be held on 28th of July at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre in Riga, on 2nd of September at Kai Art Center in Tallinn and on 23rd of September at a.p. bookstore in Berlin.

Lina Lapelytė’s home studio, Vilnius, 2020. Photo, Diāna Tamane

Your Time Is My Time analyses contemporary artistic practices among artists from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the context of evolving global networks and art production. The book focuses on artists from the Baltic countries who have been living and working outside of the region for longer periods of time or who have been engaged in a nomadic lifestyle, constantly travelling between different cities and countries. It explores different aspects of migration, precariousness, belonging, and community-building in the practices of these artists, in order to reflect on how the working conditions shape their artworks.

Viktor Timofeev's studio, New York, 2023. Photo, Anna Dave
Viktor Timofeev’s studio, New York, 2023. Photo, Anna Dave

Your Time Is My Time also captures a turning point in the perception of temporal, geographic, and social proximity, and the shift towards finding more sustainable artistic methods and practices in response to deepening economic and ecological distress. Has this current era of crises resulted in new ways of working? How has the meaning of home and workplace changed?

Edited by Annika Toots & Merilin Talumaa

Texts by Inga Lāce, Sandra Skurvida, Emma Duester, Neringa Černiauskaitė

With contributions by Žilvinas Kempinas, Vytenis Jankūnas, Viktor Timofeev, Ella Kruglyanskaya, Daiga Grantiņa, Ingel Vaikla, Pakui Hardware, Merike Estna, Agnė Juodvalkytė, Katja Novitskova, Dorota Gawęda & Eglė Kulbokaitė, Lina Lapelytė, Evita Vasiļjeva, Emilija Škarnulytė, Laura Põld, Maria Kapajeva

Design by Kert Viiart

Proofreading by Bryne McLaughlin

Published & distributed by Mousse Publishing & Roots to Routes

Book Your Time Is My Time. Photo, Mousse Publishing

2023
English
216 pages
Softcover, 17 x 23 cm
ISBN 978-88-6749-591-7
€ 25 / $ 29.95

The book is supported by Estonian Ministry of Culture, Outset Estonia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Society of Art Historians and Curators, Nordic Culture Point

In partnership with Syndicate and Autarkia, ​guest-hosted by Medūza.​

Syndicate is a nomadic platform for exhibitions, events, and publications directed by JL Murtaugh.

​Autarkia is an artist-run, service-oriented institution focused on providing support and resources to artists in Lithuania and abroad.

​Medūza is the Lithuanian Artists’ Union’s contemporary art and culture space, managed by Audrius Pocius and Eglė Agnė Benkunskytė.

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Articulations 2

EN

14 June, 19:00
Medūza, Šv. Jono 11, Vilnius
Pam Virada, Graeme Arnfield, Ngoc Nau, Mako Ishizuka
Event will be held in English.

Rupert, a centre for art, residencies and education, together with Autarkia, an artist day care centre, invites you to continue diving into conversations about art at the second event of the ‘Articulations’ series. This cycle of seasonal public events provide opportunities to informally meet Rupert’s artists-in-residence and discover their work.

The summer edition of ‘Articulations’ will combine audiovisual stories from Rupert’s current and alumni resident artists about their practices and conversations, followed by an encircling music selection by Matilda. Medūza—the Lithuanian Artists’ Union’s contemporary art and culture space—guest hosts ‘Articulations’ this time.

This event features filmmaker Graeme Arnfield (UK), video installation and media artist Ngoc Nau (VN), installation artist Pam Virada (NL) and Rupert’s alumni artist Mako Ishizuka (SE/JP).

Graeme Arnfield uses networked imagery and investigative storytelling to create sensory essay films on the organisation of technology, ecology and history; the shapes they take; and the feelings they induce. Graeme will present his ongoing research into labour struggles in outer space and the tactics of resistance practised by those working in zero-gravity.

Ngoc Nau explores the impact of technology on society, spirituality, and the working class, provoking critical analysis of progress’ abundant and severe repercussions. She will discuss the work Ritual Object 1, sharing how the ‘smart technology urban town’ project transformed her home city in northern Vietnam, colliding traditional values with modern demands.

Pam Virada navigates ghostly forces and intimate stories in domestic spheres; whispers of intimate turmoils become objects, text, and expanded cinema, generating alternative realities. For this event, Virada will examine the role of ‘ghost tours’, considering them as vernacular tools linking contemporary urbanity to the terrifying histories of both the city and nation-state.

In taking the role of ‘stranger’, artist Mako Ishizuka asks questions and disrupts the concept of perceived distance—physical and psychological—through forms of collaboration, embodying knowledge generated by sustained social inquiry with locals. Mako will highlight her recent practice and research in Lithuania, reviewing the work Graphic Movements.

The evening will include an introduction to the 2023 Alternative Education Programme by Tautvydas Urbelis, a question-and-answer session follows each presentation moderated by JL Murtaugh, and concludes with music by Matilda.

The Articulations series is a joint initiative of Rupert and Autarkia, coordinated by Viktorija Šiaulytė (Rupert), Rugilė Miliukaitė (Rupert), and JL Murtaugh (Autarkia)
Graphic design: Jonė Miškinytė

Rupert is financed by the Lithuanian Council of Culture. Sponsored by: Vilnius City Municipality, Nordic Culture Point, Tech Zity

Special thanks to: Audrius Pocius and Eglė Agnė Benkunskytė (Medūza)

LT

birželio 14 d. 19:00 val
„Medūza“ (Šv. Jono g. 11, Vilnius)
Pam Virada, Graeme’as Arnfieldas, Ngoc Nau, Mako Ishizuka (buv. rezidentė)
Renginys vyks anglų kalba.

Meno, rezidencijų ir edukacijos centras Rupert kartu su menininkų dienos centru „Autarkia“ kviečia tęsti pokalbius apie meną antrajame ciklo „Artikuliacijos“ renginyje. Šis sezoninių viešųjų renginių ciklas suteikia galimybę neformaliai pabendrauti su Rupert reziduojančiais menininkais ir susipažinti su jų kūryba.

Vasaros „Artikuliacijose“ vyks dabartinių ir buvusių Rupert menininkų rezidentų audiovizualinių pasakojimų apie jų praktikas pristatymai ir pokalbiai, po kurių apsups Matildos muzikos selekcija. Šį kartą „Artikuliacijas“ padeda organizuoti Lietuvos dailininkų sąjungos šiuolaikinio meno ir kultūros erdvė „Medūza“.

Renginyje dalyvaus filmų kūrėjas Graeme’as Arnfieldas (JK), vaizdo instaliacijų ir medijų menininkė Ngoc Nau (VN), instaliacijų menininkė Pam Virada (NL) ir Rupert alumnė menininkė Mako Ishizuka (SE / JP).

Graeme’as Arnfieldas, naudodamas tinklinius vaizdus ir tiriamąjį pasakojimą, kuria jutiminius filmus-esė apie technologijų, ekologijos ir istorijos organizavimą, jų pavidalus ir sukeliamus jausmus. Graeme’as pristatys savo vykdomus tyrimus apie darbininkų kovą kosmose ir nulinės gravitacijos sąlygomis dirbančių žmonių rezistencinę taktiką.

Ngoc Nau tyrinėja technologijų poveikį visuomenei, dvasingumui ir darbininkų klasei, sykiu provokuoja kritiškai analizuoti gausius ir skaudžius pažangos padarinius. Ji aptars kūrinį „Ritualinis objektas 1“ ir papasakos, kaip, tradicinėms vertybėms susikirtus su šiuolaikiniais poreikiais, išmaniųjų technologijų miestelio projektas pakeitė jos gimtąjį miestą šiaurės Vietname.

Pam Virada naviguoja tarp vaiduokliškų jėgų ir intymių istorijų namų erdvėse; vidinio sąmyšio šnabždesiai tampa objektais, tekstais ir alternatyvias realybes kuriančiu išplėstiniu kinu. Renginyje P. Virada nagrinės „vaiduokliškų ekskursijų“ svarbą, vertindama jas kaip liaudiškas priemones, susiejančias šiuolaikinį miestietiškumą su siaubinga miesto ir tautinės valstybės istorija.

Menininkė Mako Ishizuka, prisiimdama nepažįstamojo vaidmenį, kelia klausimus ir griauna suvokiamo fizinio ir psichologinio atstumo sampratą. Visa tai – pasitelkiant bendradarbiavimo formas ir įkūnijant žinias, įgytas vykdant ilgalaikį socialinį tyrimą su vietiniais gyventojais. Mako pristatys savo naujausią praktiką ir tyrimus Lietuvoje, apžvelgs kūrinį „Grafiniai judesiai“.

Renginyje Tautvydas Urbelis pristatys 2023 m. Alternatyvios edukacijos programą, po kiekvieno pranešimo vyks klausimų ir atsakymų sesija, kurią moderuos JL Murtaugh, o vakaro pabaigoje skambės Matildos muzika.

Ciklas „Artikuliacijos“ yra bendra Rupert ir „Autarkia“ iniciatyva, kurią koordinuoja Viktorija Šiaulytė (Rupert), Rugilė Miliukaitė (Rupert) ir JL Murtaugh („Autarkia“).
Grafikos dizainerė – Jonė Miškinytė.

Rupert finansuoja Lietuvos kultūros taryba. Rėmėjai: Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė, Nordic Culture Point, „Tech Zity“.

Ypatingai dėkojame Audriui Pociui ir Eglei Agnei Benkunskytei („Medūza“).

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Articulations

EN

Rupert and Autarkia present Articulations, a new cycle of events

Rupert, a centre for art, residencies and education, together with Autarkia, an artist day care centre, invites you to dive into conversations about art in a new event cycle titled “Articulations”.

These events will open a possibility to informally meet Rupert’s current artists-in-residence and discover their work. Throughout the evening, Autarkia’s sister restaurant “Delta mityba” invites you to taste their dishes.

First event: 23 March, 19:00 at “Autarkia’’ (Naugarduko st. 41, Vilnius). 

The first edition of Articulations will intertwine audiovisual stories from Rupert’s current resident artists about their practices and conversations, followed by a special menu item from “Delta mityba”.

This event features filmmaker and designer Emilia Tapprest (Finland/Netherlands), poetry and performance maker Barnett Cohen (USA) and artist duo Marissa Lee Benedict and David Rueter (USA/Netherlands).

In 2022, Emilia presented her dance project “Scent of Time” on the topics of exile, changing worldviews and the right to self-determination. The premiere was held in Bologna and was accompanied by a special exhibition and a public programme. In her works, she explores how designed systems, infrastructures and connections affect us in “affective’’, preconscious ways.

Barnett came to Lithuania from New York’s The Center for Performance Research, where he introduced his performative text-based movement performance “noposition nolocation”. His anti-disciplinary practice proposes a kaleidoscopic queer surrealism.

Marissa and David recently presented their audiovisual work “a conversation between machines about Mallarmé (regarding the state of the gallery lights)”. Together they create site-adapted videos, sculptures, and drawings that intercept objects and processes, extending beyond one’s peripheral vision.

JL Murtaugh (artistic director, Autarkia)

I’m very pleased to help guide this shared programming vision of Autarkia and Rupert to reality. The consistent flow of accomplished, talented artists through Rupert’s residency programme for over a decade is a huge asset to Vilnius and Lithuania more broadly. I’ve been very fortunate to meet with many of them these last few years, and look forward to the Articulations series building more and firmer connections between these residents and this city’s excellent and motivated artistic community.

Viktorija Šiaulytė (Rupert)

“Articulations” is a series of events that every few months invites you to get to know artists from all over the world visiting Rupert centre in Vilnius, accompanied by creative interpretations and engaging conversations by ‘Delta mityba’ restaurant. All events will be held at the artist day care centre ‘Autarkia’.

Events will be held in English.

The ‘Delta mityba’ restaurant will be open during the events.

Events will be coordinated by Viktorija Šiaulytė (Rupert), Rugilė Miliukaitė (Rupert) and JL Murtaugh (Autarkia).

Design by: Jonė Miškinytė

Rupert is sponsored by: Lithuanian Council for Culture

Sponsors: Vilnius city municipality, Nordic Culture Point, Tech Zity

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LT

Rupert ir „Autarkia“ pristato naują renginių ciklą „Artikuliacijos“

Meno, rezidencijų ir alternatyvios edukacijos centras Rupert kartu su menininkų dienos centru „Autarkia“ kviečia pasinerti į pokalbius apie meną naujame renginių cikle „Artikuliacijos“. Šiuose renginiuose bus galima neformaliai susitikti su Rupert centre reziduojančiais menininkais, artimiau susipažinti su jų kūryba, o viso vakaro metu „Delta mityba“ restoranas kvies ragauti savo patiekalų.

Pirmasis renginys – jau kovo 23 d. 19 val.

„Autarkia“ patalpose (Naugarduko g. 41, Vilnius). Jame susipins audiovizualiniai menininkų pasakojimai apie savo kūrybinę praktiką, pokalbiai ir menines temas atliepiantys skoniai iš restorano „Delta mityba“. Pirmajame susitikime kviečiame susipažinti su filmų kūrėja, dizainere Emilia Tapprest (Suomija / Olandija), tekstų bei performansų kūrėju Barnett Cohen (JAV) ir Marissos Lee Benedict bei Davido Rueterio menininkų duetu (JAV / Olandija).

Emilia 2022 m. Bolonijoje pristatė savo ekranizuotą šokio projektą „Laiko kvapas“ (Scent of Time) tremties, kintančios pasaulėžiūros ir apsisprendimo teisės temomis. Premjerą lydėjo speciali paroda ir vieša programa. Menininkė savo darbuose tyrinėja, kaip suprojektuotos sistemos, infrastruktūros ir sąsajos mus veikia „afektiniais“, nesąmoningais būdais.

Barnettas į Lietuvą atvyko iš Niujorko performansų tyrimų centro (Center for Performance Research), kur pristatė savo performatyvų tekstu grįstą judesio spektaklį „noposition nolocation“. Šiame ir kituose savo kūriniuose, remdamasis antidisciplinine praktika jis teigia kaleidoskopinį queer siurrealizmą.

Marissa ir Davidas neseniai pristatė savo audiovizualinį kūrinį „mašinų pokalbiai apie Malarmę (apie galerijos apšvietimo būklę)“ (a conversation between machines about Mallarmé (regarding the state of the gallery lights)). Kartu jie kuria vaizdo įrašus, skulptūras ir piešinius, kuriuose užfiksuoja objektus ir dokumentuoja procesus, plytinčius už periferinio matymo ribų.

„Labai džiaugiuosi galėdamas padėti įgyvendinti bendrą Autarkia ir Rupert viziją. Jau daugiau nei dešimtmetį plūstantis nuoseklus sėkmingų, talentingų menininkų srautas, atsiradęs Rupert rezidencijų programos dėka, yra didelis turtas Vilniui ir visai Lietuvai. Man labai pasisekė per pastaruosius kelerius metus susipažinti su daugeliu iš jų ir laukiu dar daugiau ir tvirtesnių ryšių tarp rezidentų ir puikios bei motyvuotos šio miesto meninės bendruomenės, užsimezgančių „Artikuliacijos“ ciklo metu.“ – JL Murtaugh, Autarkia

„Maria Puig de la Bellacasa knygoje „Matters of Care“ kalba, jog buvimas artikuliuotu/a — tai privilegija. Būtinas ir „rūpestingas klausymas“, leidžiantis įžvelgti ir pažinti ne tokius akivaizdžius dalykus, neišartikuliuotus normalizuota kalba. Tikiuosi, kad pokalbiai su menininkais sukurs prielaidas šiam rūpestingam klausymui ir platesniam susipažinimui su jų praktikų procesais“, – sako Rupert rezidencijų programos kuratorė Viktorija Šiaulytė, pristatydama naują renginių seriją „Artikuliacijos“.

„Artikuliacijos“ – tai renginių serija kas kelis mėnesius kviečianti susipažinti su Vilniuje, Rupert centre viešinčiais menininkais iš viso pasaulio, lydima „Delta mityba“ restorano kūrybiškų interpretacijų bei įtraukiančių pokalbių. Visi renginiai vyks menininkų dienos centre „Autarkia“.

Renginiai vyks anglų kalba

Renginio metu veiks „Delta mityba“ restoranas

Renginius koordinuoja: Viktorija Šiaulytė (Rupert), Rugilė Miliukaitė (Rupert) ir JL Murtaugh („Autarkia“)

Dizainas: Jonė Miškinytė

Rupert veiklą finansuoja: Lietuvos kultūros taryba

Rėmėjai: Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė, „Nordic Culture Point“, „Tech Zity“

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Letters to Jonas Mekas—Hot afternoon with Autarkia and Syndicate

Letters to Jonas Mekas—
Hot afternoon with Autarkia and Syndicate
Laura Kaminskaitė, Anastasia Sosunova, Seecum Cheung, Keren Cytter, Gerda Paliušytė, Lina Lapelytė, and an unpublished video-message by Jonas Mekas
Curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi and JL Murtaugh 
11 February 2023, 4 to 7.30 pm
MACRO, Rome

On the afternoon of February 11, Letters to Jonas Mekas, a tribute to the great Lithuanian filmmaker and pioneer of avant-garde cinema, to whom Images Are Real, on show at Mattatoio until 26 February 2023, comes to life in the MACRO spaces.

For the occasion, the curatorial duo Francesco Urbano Ragazzi invites the independent platforms Autarkia and Syndicate, both based in the same headquarters in Vilnius and expressing the spirit of Fluxus in contemporary times, to celebrate this moment.

Led by JL Murtaugh, the two platforms gather a group of friends to celebrate the filmmaker’s powerful cultural legacy. Artists from the new Lithuanian scene such as Laura Kaminskaitė, Anastasia Sosunova, Lina Lapelytė, Gerda Paliušytė, together with Keren Cytter and Seecum Cheung, pay tribute to their intellectual connection to Mekas and elaborate on a genre to which the artist has long been committed: epistolary and video-letter. In the spaces between the museum foyer and the auditorium, video works alternate with live interventions. Messages dedicated to an artist who has influenced atleast three generations of artists are delivered to those present as ifthey were still unknown friends.

It is an unpublished message by Jonas Mekas from the archive of Francesco Urbano Ragazzi that opens this meeting: a hymn to the friendship between artists in the space that lies between independent cinema and the cameras we all carry in our pockets.

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4 pm – 6 pm, auditorium
screening in loop

Lina Lapelytė, I Have Lost My Eyes, I have lost my eyes (words by Jonas Mekas), audio, 2’20”, 2018. 

Jonas Mekas, Silence Please, video, sound, 3’50”, 2000. 

Gerda Paliušytė, Early Winter, video, sound, 3′, 2020. 

Jonas Mekas, George Maciunas, excerpt from Online Diaries (Venice), 1’34”, 2015. 

Keren Cytter, Des Trous, video, sound, 14′, 2018. 

Jonas Mekas, excerpt from Walden, video from 16mm film, sound, 2’55”, 1968. 

Anastasia Sosunova, Messed Up Terrains, video, sound, 8′, 2020. 

Jonas Mekas, In the Woods, video, sound, 4’39”, 2017. 

Seecum Cheung, Eviction in Shenzhen: Part 1, video, sound, 18′, 2019. 

Jonas Mekas, Orchard Street, video from 16mm film, mute, 2’44”, 2010. 

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4 pm – 6 pm
foyer

Laura Kaminskaitė, live intervention 

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6 pm
auditorium

Anastasia Sosunova, live intervention 

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6.30 pm – 7.30 pm
auditorium

Conversation on Letters to Jonas Mekas with JL Murtaugh, Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, Laura Kaminskaite and Anastasia Sosunova followed by the projection of Jonas Mekas’s video message Birth of the Internet Nation


Letters to Jonas Mekas is part of the public program of Images Are Real, the exhibition curated by Francesco Urbano Ragazzi, on view at Mattatoio in until 26 February. It is promoted by Roma Culture and Azienda Speciale Palaexpo in partnership with the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Rome 


AUTARKIA is an artist day care center, a club of interests, an office space for putative experiences and imaginary solutions, a bistro of experimental gastronomy, a gallery and project development hotel in Vilnius. Autarkia is an artist-run, service-oriented institution focused on creating artist support and resources—financial, promotional, and conceptual—in Lithuania and abroad. It was founded by Robertas Narkus, who represented Lithuania at the Venice Biennale last year, and currently under the artistic direction of JL Murtaugh. The advisory board is composed of Yana Foqué, Kipras Garla, Dita Birkenšteina, Milda Zabarauskaite, and Nerijus Rimkus.  

SYNDICATE is an international platform for exhibitions, events, and publications. Currently based in Vilnius, it’s developing The Bureau, an open-access consulting service for art workers. Syndicate has a nomadic nature, with former headquarters in London, Cologne, and Los Angeles, in addition to numerous offsite projects. It was founded in 2014 by JL Murtaugh, an artist, curator, writer, and consultant. Originally from Chicago, he was the director of Tenderpixel in London from 2012 to 2014 and is currently the artistic director of Autarkia. 

FRANCESCO URBANO RAGAZZI is a curatorial duo born in Paris in 2008. They have realised many exhibition projects, talks and publications about Jonas Mekas. Among the exhibitions, The Internet Saga, on the occasion of the Venice Biennale, Again, It All Comes Back to Me in Brief Glimpses, the artist’s first retrospective in Asia (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul) and Like a Flower in a Field, commissioned by the Reykjavik International Film Festival. In 2022, the duo directed LIAF, the longest-running contemporary art biennial in Scandinavia. 

LAURA KAMINSKAITĖ (1984, LT) disrupts conventional art motifs through humorous events, real and imagined, employing installations, text, and graphic gestures. Her interventions continually adapt and resist their contexts—her virtual book Ghost Bag (The Baltic Notebooks of Anthony Blunt, Vilnius, 2018) is continually punctuated with illustrations and texts by invited contributors as well as directly appropriated fragments of writing and material from other authors. Kaminskaitė’s solo exhibitions include CAC, Vilnius; Vermilion Sands, Copenhagen DK; LOW, Riga LV; P////AKT, Amsterdam NL; Editorial, Vilnius LT; and Objectif Exhibitions, Antwerp BE. She’s participated in group exhibitions including Kaunas Biennial 2019, LT; Hordaland Kunstsenter, Bergen NO; Kunstverein Munich, DE; Kim? Contemporary Art Center, Riga LV; Baltic Triennial 2016, Riga LV; Kunsthalle Athena, Athens GR; Moderna Museet, Malmö SE; and The National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow RU. Her works are in the collections of the Nomas Foundation, Rome IT; Quadrum, Vilnius LT; and BTA Vienna Insurance Group, Vilnius LT and Riga LV. Kaminskaitė studied graphics and sculpture, currently lectures at the Vilnius Academy of Art, and lives in Vilnius. 

ANASTASIA SOSUNOVA (1993, LT) deconstructs emotional relations and projected obligations in a variety of media including sculpture, installation, writing, and film. Her recent projects explicitly question the hierarchy and contradictions of citizenship, spirituality, and sexuality, encouraging the construction of new territories, unbound by normative cliches, as places to understand the meaning and individual manifestation of belonging, freedom, and love.  Notable solo and two-person exhibitions have been presented at Cell Projects, London UK; SixtyEight Art Institute, Copenhagen DK; Britta Rettberg, Munich DE; New Museum, New York US; Swallow, Vilnius LT; Kogo, Tartu EE; and Editorial, Vilnius LT. She has exhibited work at the National Gallery of Art, Vilnius LT; Kunsthalle Osnabrück, DE; Prospectif Cinéma at Centre Pompidou, Paris FR; FUTURA Contemporary Art Centre, Prague CZ; and the 2021 Baltic Triennial 14, Vilnius LT. Sosunova won the JCDecaux Emerging Artist Award in 2018. She graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a BA in Graphic Arts and an MA in Sculpture, and lives in Vilnius. 

SEECUM CHEUNG (1984, Coventry, UK) is an artist and filmmaker whose deep research begins with her personal encounters with embodied radicalism and human rights suppression. Each project develops into a expanded field of documentary filmmaking, crossing over with leading experts in journalism, sociology, and political science; then steps beyond that field to weave complex characterizations and narratives, illustrating the ways intentional hegemonic violence and dis-empathy against the identity and agency of the underrepresented have tangible, heartbreaking, and reprehensible effects. Solo presentations include Grand Union, Birmingham UK; Syndicate, Brussels BE; and Vital Capacities, London UK. She’s participated in exhibitions and screenings at Autarkia, Vilnius LT; Syndicate, London UK; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam NL; Kunstinstituut Melly, Rotterdam NL; Horse and Pony Fine Arts, Berlin DE, and A Tale of a Tub, Rotterdam NL amongst many others. Cheung is currently a lecturer in social practice at Willem de Kooning Academie, Rotterdam NL; a professional freelance director of photography in film and television; and a member of the ESEA artist collective Sunday (fka Rising Buns). She studied at Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam, and lives in Rotterdam, London, and Hong Kong. 

KEREN CYTTER (1977, Israel) is an artist, filmmaker, and author who relentlessly experiments with the relationship between truth and storytelling. Her films and novels, as simple as social media videos or journal entries through to elaborate stage and screen productions and multi-edition global publications consistently defy expectation and also connect as a responsive experience to pressure demanded by contemporary life, professionalism, love, and creativity. Presaging the hyper-meta feedback loops of the social media landscape, Cytter’s cyclical logics are obtuse, layered, and baroque while also enduringly genuine, personal, and devoid of pretense. Selected solo exhibitions include Ludwig Forum, Aachen DE; Syndicate, Mexico City MX; Museion, Bolzano IT; SCHLOSS, Oslo NO; Künstlerhaus Halle für Kunst & Medien, Graz AT; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago US; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen DK; Tate Modern, London UK; and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam NL. Cytter has previously collaborated with Syndicate for Marathon Screenings, Los Angeles US; Beverly’s, New York US; and Hotelito San Rafael, Mexico City MX amongst others. She is a professor at Kunstakademie Münster and lives in New York. 

GERDA PALIUŠYTĖ (1987, LT) is an artist and curator. Her work links a range of documentary practices, focused chiefly on characters and phenomena from history and popular culture, and further on the relationship of prominent subjects with social reality—how cultivated perceptions of people and events influence both the subject and viewer. An interdisciplinary artist primarily using film and photography, Paliušytė explores the inner workings of collective practices and the various ways of tacit agreements take form.  Recent solo and dual exhibitions include We Live in Places (with Gabija Nedzinskaitė) at the former Institute of Physics in Vilnius, LT; Lavender Opener Chair Gallery, Tokyo JP; and Prospect Gallery, Vilnius LT. Paliušytė received the 2020 Rupert – Lithuanian Culture Institute – Somerset House Studios Residency Award. 

LINA LAPELYTĖ (1984, LT) is an artist, composer, and musician. She reinterprets the elements of music, through a prism of popular culture, gender conventions, and imagined pasts to create emotional, textured performances, films, choreographies, and stage productions. Her longtime artistic collaboration with Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė and Vaiva Grainytė resulted in the creation of two contemporary operas, Have a Good Day! (2013) and Sun and Sea (2017) which represented Lithuania at the 2019 Venice Biennale and received the Golden Lion for national participation. Both operas remain on extended tours of worldwide venues, including in Italy with Have a Good Day! at Mambo in Bologna, and Sun and Sea at Teatro Argentina in Rome and currently touring Australia and South America. Lapelytė’s recent major individual projects include her solo show ‘The Mutes’ at Lafayette Anticipations, Paris FR; the 2021 Kaunas Biennial; Haus der Kunst, Munich DE; Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels BE; Tai Kwun, Hong Kong HK; Glasgow International 2021; Riga Biennial 2020; Fondation Cartier, Paris FR; Kunsthalle Praha, CZ; CCA Ujazdowski, Warsaw PL; 2018 Baltic Triennial; David Roberts Art Foundation, London UK; Moderna Museet, Malmö SE; Hayward Gallery, London UK; and Serpentine Galleries, London UK. Past projects with Syndicate include those for Snehta, Athens GR, and Material Art Fair, Mexico City MX. She lives in London and Vilnius. 

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We Live in Places

We Live in Places
Gabija Nedzinskaitė and Gerda Paliušytė 

Opening Friday 27 May, 6-9 pm

27 May to 26 June
Mečetės g 4, Vilnius

Open Wednesdays and Fridays, 6-8 pm
and by appointment
at weliveinplaces@gmail.com

I’ve taken solace in this garden. It really is beautiful. I wonder at the atmosphere and how it is paradoxically both acute and impossible to articulate or grasp. It made me think of Virginia Woolf, whom you had mentioned in one of your emails to me, and how she created worlds that seemed offered to us partially wrapped in some obscure light or tissue paper. There’s another idea about how we look at and try to understand the world which is all about twisting, wrenching and unwrapping other beings into clarity and truth. What a cruel vision of curiosity and what an arrogant thought that is: that if only we hold down something enough it will hand over everything. Empires acted and continue to act on this logic. But, of course, never is everything handed over or given up. There are gaps between those fingers, a fist is never completely tight. A seed will escape.

excerpt from the exhibition text by Yates Norton

Gabija Nedzinskaitė (b. 1998) is a spatial practitioner currently living and working in Amsterdam. Her practice is a remix of objects, industrialized experiences of narratives, failed renders and invisible interventions. Gabija’s works usually consist of objects that have undergone different stages of transformation or manipulation. These transformations are essential to her spatial research. Gabija recently graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam (Architectural Design Department).

Gerda Paliušytė (b. 1987) is an artist and curator based in Vilnius. She is interested in various documentary practices, historical and popular cultural phenomena and characters as well as their relationship with social reality. Gerda’s work (films, photography) often explores collective practices and various forms of tacit agreements. Recent exhibitions include two solo editions of For Cecil, at Lavender Opener Chair Gallery in Tokyo (2021) and the Prospect Gallery in Vilnius (2020).

Thank you Autarkia, Gediminas G. Akstinas and Gediminas Akstinas, Aurimė Žakaitė, Pavel Zalescevskij, Andrej Vasilenko, Simonas Kuliešius, Edgaras Aškelovič, Vytautas Gečas, Jokūbas Čižikas, Alexandra Bondarev

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Pan’s Galley

The word panic derives from the name of Pan, an Ancient Greek god of nature and wilderness. In these mythic stories, Pan’s cry confused aggressors, and discouraged those who might disturb his peaceful rest.

Panic suggests a sudden fear of the uncontrollable. Our deepening environmental crisis fits that mood exactly. The issue can seem overwhelmingly complex—but let’s begin by remaining calm and taking a seat.

The traditional concept of symposium involves a group of warriors assembling to debate philosophical issues, culminating in a feast. Autarkia together with Delta Mityba invites you for an evening of casual conversation about the ways we produce and consume food, provoking questions on how we do it now and should improve in the future.

The event will include local producers of vegetables, wine, bread, tea, and more to discuss their methods and goals, particularly in collectivity and cooperative work. We’ll complete the day’s programme by gathering in the kitchen to prepare a meal together, taking what we’ve learned and sharing what we’ve produced.

Pan is more than a symbol of crisis—it is a symbol of music, spontaneity and hope. Panic is a warning and call to action, rather than a condemnation. The journey through crisis begins through partnership and participation.

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Žodžio ‘panika’ reikšmė kildinama iš graikų dievo Pano, saugančio laukinę gamtą. Mitologinis Pano verksmas sukrėsdavo ir numalšindavo pašalaičių norus sutrukdyti dieviškąją ramybę.

Panika kelia baimę tam, kas nėra pačio kontrolėje. Vis gilėjanti aplinkosaugos krizė puikiai atliepą šią būseną. Problema gali atrodyti itin kompleksiška, bet pamėginkime išlikti ramūs ir prisėskime.

Tradiciškai simpoziumas yra karių susirinkimas aptarti filosofinių problemų, dažnai pasibaigiantis puota. Autarkia kartu su Delta Mityba kviečia jus vakarui pabendrauti apie tai, kaip mes kultivuojame bei vartojame maistą, bei kelti klausimus, kaip mes tai darome dabar ir kaip tai patobulinti ateityje.

Šios vakarienės metu išgirsite daržovių, vyno, duonos, arbatos, ir kitų vietinių gamintojų pokalbius apie jų metodus bei tikslus, su ypatingu dėmesiu į bendruomeniškumą ir bendradarbystę. Dienos programą užbaigs kolektyvinė maisto gamyba virtuvėje – įsisavinsime, ko išmokome ir dalinsimės, ką pagaminome.

Panas – tikrai daugiau nei krizės simbolis, tai būtybė, globojanti muziką, spontaniškumą ir viltį. Panika yra daugiau ženklas, kvietimas veikti, nei pasmerkimas. Kelionė krize prasideda bendryste ir dalyvavimu.

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I Can Explain Everything

Autarkia, in cooperation with European Humanities University, is inviting to a Belarusian artist Maxim Osipau exhibition “I can explain everything”. The artist will show a series of painted carpets created in 2021, which reflects tragic events of Belarus in 2020.

Despite its unique history, the genre of painted carpets is not included in the official Belarusian art narrative. Such practice has withstood even the most difficult history periods: in twentieth century, sacral images of paradise and nature maintained people’s spiritual wellbeing, trading it for a sack of potatoes, or sometimes those carpets filled with idealism was an absolute kitsch, made by prisoners to decorate labor camp wardens’ everyday life.

“I work in this genre, because people do understand this language. But I don’t want to flee from reality. I want to discover individual and collective misconceptions and lies.”, says the artist. In his work, Maxim examines the topics of searching for identity as well as its formation, memory, responsibility, and humanity. With citations of Biblical stories and known paintings from the history of art, Maxim Osipau highlights the contemporary human condition in the face of dehumanized world.

The exhibition curator Vera Dziadok, a lecturer at the EHU, says that the ideas of soviet identity and heroism are not working for Belarusian anymore, and asks the question of how it is possible to collect the new identity from small pieces, inherited mostly orally and in family, ahead of official narratives.

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The exhibition will be open 10th – 15th December:
Friday 18:00 – Opening event & artist talk by Maxim Osipau.
Saturday 11:00 – 22:00.
Sunday: 12:00 – 16:00.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 11:00 – 18:30.

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Autarkia, kartu su Europos Humanitariniu Universitetu, šį penktadienį 18 val. kviečia į baltarusių menininko Maksim Osipau parodą „Aš galiu viską paaiškinti“. Menininkas pristatys šiais metais sukurtą tapytų kilimų ciklą, kuriame reflektuojami tragiški 2020- ųjų metų įvykiai Baltarusijoje.

Baltarusijos meno lauke unikalią istoriją turintis tapytų kilimų žanras iki šiol nėra oficialiai pripažįstamas. Nors ši praktika Baltarusijoje gyvavo net sunkiausiais laiko tarpsniais: XX a. šventi rojaus ir gamtos vaizdai padėdavo palaikyti žmonių dvasinį būvį, kilimus mainant net į maišą bulvių, o kartais idealizmu dvelkiantys kilimai tapdavo paprasčiausiu kiču, kalinio sukurtu pagražinti lagerio prižiūrėtojų buitį.

Menininkas teigia: „Dirbu šiame žanre, nes tai yra žmonėms suprantama kalba. Nesiekiu pabėgti nuo realybės. Noriu atskleisti asmenines ir kolektyvines suvokimo klaidas bei melą.“ Maksim Osipau kūriniuose gvildena identiteto paieškų, jo formavimo, atminties, atsakomybės, žmogiškumo temas. Cituodamas Biblinius naratyvus ir panaudodamas kultūroje puikiai atpažįstamų paveikslų fragmentus, Maksim Osipau pabrėžia šiuolaikinio žmogaus būklę dehumanizuoto pasaulio akistatoje.

Anot parodos kuratorės, EHU dėstytojos Veros Dziadok, „sovietinio identiteto ir
heroizmo idėjos baltarusiams nebeveikia, tad atsiranda iššūkis iš mažų dalių surinkti ir suvokti naująją tapatybę ir pasaulėvoką, dažniausiai žodžiu perduodamą šeimose, aplenkiant oficialius naratyvus.“

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Parodą galite aplankyti gruodžio 10 – 15 d.

Penktadienis 18:00. Parodos atidarymas ir menininko pristatymas.
Šeštadienis 11:00 – 22:00.
Sekmadienis 12:00 – 16:00.
Pirmadienis, antradienis, trečiadienis 11:00 – 18:30.

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The Bureau

The Bureau is a home for creative services.

Recent sessions took place in Vilnius and Kaunas. Our autumn appointment dates will be announced soon.


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Every programme needs an office. Beyond logistical management of Autarkia, The Bureau extends open consulting appointments to creative practitioners, in person or remotely. These sessions offer personal advice and professional conversation.

Our creative service model is inspired by Lori Waxman’s ongoing 15-year project ’60 wrd/min art critic’, notably featured in its own office space at Documenta 13 in Kassel. Waxman provided new critical writing to each artist entering, increasing accessibility to professionalized art.

Sessions will be documented and can result in a written response tailored to your professional and creative needs. Topics might be production, technical advice, or a second opinion on a current project.

We ask all visitors to complete a simple intake form for our consultants to determine your specific needs and research interests.

For the moment, we conduct sessions in English only but aim to offer other languages in future.

Additional sessions and guest consultants will be announced on a rolling basis.

The Bureau is a project initiated by JL Murtaugh, an artist, writer, designer, and consultant.

The Bureau tote bag, design Nerijus Rimkus

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Codomestication

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 EN

Part three of “Autarkia Performs”, a performance series for the 14th Baltic Triennial.

Krõõt Juurak + Alex Bailey
Codomestication
Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September at 17.00h
Duration approximately 45 minutes

Advance booking required, register here
https://forms.gle/2Ca72JUSMji8d3LG8

Krõõt Juurak + Alex Bailey collaborate with their son Albert to design, direct, and perform Codomestication. The performance integrates the fluid labor of creativity, recreation, and care, finding understanding between adults and children on common ground.

Adult wishes and artistic ideals often dissolve when confronted with precarious children. Krõõt, Alex, and Albert draw inspiration from the life events many parents would regard as disruptive.

Children are often considered an economic and emotional burden, not permitted participation or autonomy—by family or society—in affairs that influence them. Juurak and Bailey consider their child to understand what work will look like in the future. 

We do this work not only because we believe in a society that is more inclusive of children and others but also because the creativity of these ‘others’ is inspiring to us even and especially when it disrupts and undermines our established paths and working methods.
— Krõõt Juurak & Alex Bailey

Originally a co-production of Tanzquartier Wien and Kulturtier 
Supported in part by the Lithuanian Culture Council

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ATVANGA I (Apartment)

​LT

„Autarkia Performs“ performansų festivalio antroji dalis, 14-osios Baltijos Trienalės kontekste.

Austėja Vilkaitytė
ATVANGA I. Butas

Scenografija kartu su menininke Barbora Matonyte
Muilo skulptūra—Liudvika Sonja Koort
Eilėraščiai—poetė Vlada Banilytė Kvedarienė
Metalo skulptūra—menininkė Kotryna Butautytė

Liepos 30 d., penktadienis
Erdvė atidaroma 19:30, pasirodymo pradžia 20:00
Pasirodymo trukmė—virš valandos

Renginio metu ribojamas vietų kiekis, užsiregistruoti į performansą galite čia:
FULLY BOOKED

Instaliaciją bus galima laikinai išvysti ir po perfomanso.

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ATVANGA I. Butas—tai pirmosios ATVANGA I dalies, pristatytos Kauno Kamerinio teatro juodojoje dėžutėje, transformacija.

Atvanga—tai pauzė, atokvėpis, sustojimas, pastogė… 

Šių reikšmių Barbora ieško savo naujai įrenginėjamame bute loftuose. 

Ji mėgsta šiuolaikinį dizainą, švelnius smėlinius tonus, kontrastus, vėl naujai 
populiarėjantį makramė dekorą. Gyvenime Barborai svarbu tobulėjimas darbe
ir namų aplinkos harmonija.

Barbora daug keliauja, ne veltui jos krikšto vardas reiškia ‘moteris svetimšalė’! Kartais jai net lengviau kalbėti ne lietuviškai, o angliškai, o Barboros gyvenimo credo pasiskolintas iš Émile Coué—”Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”. 

Ji domisi įvairiomis dėmesingo įsisąmoninimo, somatinėmis technikomis, mokosi klausytis savo intuicijos ir kaip pilnai išnaudoti vidinės energijos potencialą. 

Ji kviečia publiką užsukti į dar ne iki galo sukurtą interjerą ir laukia jūsų patarimų, degustuojant raudoną vyną ir šnekučiuojantis apie aktualijas, meną, politiką, naujausias tendencijas.

Kartais Barborai sunku apsispręsti tarp dviejų labai artimų dalykų, pavyzdžiui, cinamono ir vanilės ar čili ir šampano namų kvapas? Pilkšvai smėlinės ar aukso smėlinės spalvos užuolaidos? Pradėti užsimerkus ar plačiai atvėrus akis? Konfrontuoti ar ignoruoti? Vilnius ar Stokholmas? Kalbėti ar šokti? Performansas ar spektaklis? Galbūt ji vis dar negali apsispręsti ar nori, kad jūs būtumėt, ar geriau vienai sau. Bet tikrai nori, kad ateitumėt. Tad iki pasimatymo!

Daugiau apie ATVANGA I, pirma dalis, galite rasti

contempofestival.lt/en/atvanga-i-austeja-vilkaityte-2

Projektas iš dalies finansuojamas Lietuvos kultūros tarybos

Išskirtinė padėka už mentorystę bei konsultavimą Alice MacKenzie ir Ulijonai Odišarijai

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EN

Part two of “Autarkia Performs”, a performance series for the 14th Baltic Triennial.

Barbora Vilkaitytė
ATVANGA I (Apartment)

Friday 30 July
Doors open 19:30, performance 20:00
Duration approximately one hour

Set design with Barbora Matonytė
Poems by Vlada Banilytė Kvedarienė
Soap sculpture by Liudvika Sonja Koort
Metal sculpture by Kotryna Butautytė

Limited capacity for Friday’s performance, please register here:
FULLY BOOKED

After the performance, the installation remains open to the public.

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Autarkia presents the second part of ATVANGA I, a dance performance originally presented in the Kaunas Chamber Theatre during the 2020 ConTempo festival. Here, ATVANGA I is transformed into a new reality inside a disused loft space.

‘Atvanga’ is an old Lithuanian word meaning pause, stop, respite, shelter, opening… 

Barbora Vilkaityte searches for these meanings inside her new, partially renovated apartment. She favors contemporary design, soft tones, contrasts, and macramé décor. Barbora cares about professional self-improvement and seeks harmonious balance in her home environment. 

Barbora travels a lot, too. Little wonder her name means ‘foreign woman’!

She often prefers to speak English rather than her native Lithuanian, and takes her life credo from Émile Coué. “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better”. She’s interested in somatics, mindfulness techniques, intuition, and how to reach the full potential of one’s inner energy. 

You are invited to visit Barbora’s apartment, drink wine, and give interior advice. Let’s discuss art, politics, and the latest trends.

Sometimes, Barbora can’t decide between two very similar things. For instance: vanilla cinnamon or chilli champagne home fragrance? Sand grey or gold sand for the curtains? To start with the eyes closed or wide open? To confront or to ignore? To talk or to dance? A performance or a play? Perhaps she also can’t decide if she wants you there or if she wants to be alone. But she definitely wants you to come over. Until soon!

More about ATVANGA I, part one at
contempofestival.lt/en/atvanga-i-austeja-vilkaityte-2

Supported in part by the Lithuanian Culture Council

Very special thanks to Ulijona Odišarija and Alice MacKenzie for their mentorship and advice