Have you already climbed the stairs up the Freedom Monument in Vienybės Square just in front of central KTU building? Have you visited the exhibition of three exceptional artists at Kaunas Picture Gallery? Did you have a chance to discover 24 works of art across the city? If not, Visit Kaunas recommends you to dedicate the autumn to art and the international Kaunas Biennial.
The 11th Kaunas Biennial was opened on 15 September and the art exhibitions will stay in the city until 30 November.
This year, the title of the Biennial and the main exhibition is HERE AND NOT HERE. One of the most important contemporary art events in the Baltics seeks to oppose the populist practice of removing/erecting and the conservative traditionalism prevalent in monument discourse in Lithuania. It urges to discuss radically new, contemporary, conceptual, relevant ideas and forms of commemoration, inviting us to look back at removed monuments, rethink existing monuments, and imagine new monuments.
For a rainy day, choose the three exhibitions at Kaunas Picture Gallery, and for a sunny afternoon check the main exhibition across the city. The HQ map of the Biennial can be collected from the Picture Gallery, checked online here or downloaded here. The guided tours are also highly recommended, as most of the works are site-specific and some background knowledge of the history of Kaunas would be a bonus. Check Kaunas Biennial Facebook for information on upcoming tours.
Use the opportunity of this exceptional arts event not only to contemplate the greater things, but also to spend quality time with friends – visiting arts exhibition is definitely an exceptional format of communication opening many possibilities and discoveries.
