On the festive day of January 25th, at 5 PM, the exhibition of group artists “Salve, Vilnius’DCC” will be opened in the Boiler Hall of the Energy and Technology Museum.
The final exhibition “Salve, Vilnius’DCC” of the continuous project “Salve, Vilnius” at the Energy and Technology Museum is dedicated to celebrating the uniqueness of the city of Vilnius for its 700th anniversary. The exhibition features Lithuanian artists who have created non-traditional works of art in round shapes: tondo, elliptical, arched paintings and sleek sculptures.
The exhibition project “Salve, Vilnius” started in 2018 at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Center LITEXPO, during the exhibition “Art for the Interior”. The second exhibition was held in 2019 in the “Domus galerija”. The third was exhibited in 2020 in Trakų Vokė manor house palace. In 2021, due to Covid-19 pandemic, it was organized under the slightly changed name “Salve, Vilnius, otherwise” at the Vilnius Bernardine Community Center. In 2022, the fifth exhibition was held in the Boiler and Turbine Halls of the Energy and Technology Museum. A total of 104 artists participated in the exhibitions over five years: painters, sculptors, graphic artists, textile artists and creators of interdisciplinary art.
Ričardas Zdanavičius “Childhood City”, 2020
The very name of the exhibition cycle “Salve, Vilnius” says that all the expositions are intended to congratulate Vilnius on the occasion of the upcoming anniversary. The anniversary of the capital will be celebrated for the first time in 2023, as exactly 700 years ago, on January 25th 1323, Vilnius was first mentioned as the capital of Lithuania in the Latin letters of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas to the cities of Western Europe.
The name of the exhibition was inspired by the Latin inscription “salve” (Latin: hello) on the doorsteps of some old residential buildings in Vilnius. It is a respectful address to the landlord, resident or incoming guest. These multi-colored shredded marble inscriptions, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, are a marking initiated by Vilnius architect Adam Antoni Filipowicz-Dubowik.
Agnė Misiūtė “Rain Towers”, 2022
The round art objects are non-incidental. Decorative compositions of the circle date back to antiquity and later Renaissance (tondo, plafonds, medallions, cartouche), (mosaics, frescoes, reliefs, stained-glass, tapestries). These are ornate decorative elements in interiors, exteriors and solemn symbolic compositions in the visual arts.
The sculpturally sleek form of the works of art is a hint of the winding streets of Vilnius Old Town and the round details of its old architecture. Graceful Gothic, Baroque church domes and towers, classicist, Empire-style buildings (the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania, Chodkevičiai and Tiškevičiai palaces), manors, houses with arched windows are musically in harmony with the hilly relief of Vilnius.
Loreta Zdanavičius “A Pink Lamp Above the Reformed”, 2020
The buildings of modern architecture sometimes harmoniously (and sometimes not) merge into the panorama of the city. The multinational nature of the capital and the coexistence of different cultures form not only the unique face of the city, but also its transformation into the twists and turns of history. Not only that, those living abroad also feel deep sentiments about Vilnius. So, it is not surprising that old Vilnius has been, is and will remain a source of inspiration for many generations of artists.
In the exhibition, the works of the artists establish a kind of dialogue with the city. The authors reflect on selected important artefacts of the history of Vilnius and, after placing them in a non-traditional format, turn them into a new story. Participation in this exhibition is an exceptional opportunity for contemporary artists who cherish respectful attention to our city, to reveal their own language of visual art and creatively actualize the legendary stories of Vilnius and modern artistic concepts of everyday life that give meaning to the identity of Vilnius residents.
Tatjana Simanaitienė “Vilnia Knows, I Love Vilnius”, 2022
Project author, the curator of the exhibition is Ričardas Zdanavičius
Exhibitors of “Salve, Vilnius’DCC”:
Ričardas Zdanavičius
Loreta Zdanavičius
Irena Mika Mikuličiūtė
Tauras Jurkūnas
Virginija Aliukonė
Jūra Vaškevičiūtė
Agnė Misiūtė
Marijonas Šlektavičius
Tatjana Simanaitienė
Tomas Rimeika
Jolanta Šalkauskaitė
Agnė Kišonaitė
Emilija Gaspariūnaitė Taločkienė
Virginijus Stančikas
Asta Vasiliauskaitė
Marija Rubavičiūtė
Evaldas Grinius
Romas Balinskas
Andrius Erminas
In March, the occasional exhibition was complemented by children’s creations. Like the professional artists, the young creators were given the task of creating works of round shapes. This part of the exhibition is intended to unite Vilnius children’s and youth clubs, employees and children, while creating works to commemorate the significant anniversary of the capital. The exhibition exhibits the educational works of Vilnius children and youth clubs “Klevas”, “Kregždutė”, “Verdenė” and “Lakštingala”.
—
Exhibition organizer: Energy and Technology Museum
Sponsor: Vilnius City Municipality
Partners: Vilnius 700 Initiative, Lithuanian Artists’ Association and Vilnius Gallery
Agnė Kišonaitė “Fortitude”, 2022
The exhibition will be on display from January 25th, 2022 to April 30th, 2023.
The opening of the exhibition is on January 25th (Wednesday), at 5 PM.
Admission to the opening of the exhibition is free. Visiting the exhibition on other days – after purchasing a museum visitor’s ticket.