ARTVILNIUS 2014, opening at the end of June (18-21), will offer inquisitive visitors, collectors and professionals a broad art review which appears to be even more abundant than the last year. After completion of the selection of galleries this year, it turned out that the Litexpo Exhibition and Congress Centre is going to host about 70 galleries from 16 countries (Austria, Belorussia, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, France, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Georgia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Great Britain), Changes in terms of volumes and geography are very important but not crucial success criteria for art fairs. They show the strengthening position of the art fair in the region where, according to the directress of Art Fair ARTVILNIUS Diana Stomienė, it continues to maintain the status of a unique event with no analogues. In addition to symbolic capital growth, the quality of galleries’ supply and fair programme become a factor of no less importance.
This year, the creative director of ARTVILNIUS, Eric Schlosser, decided to add even more strength to the outstanding feature of ARTVILNIUS which has already been observed before, i.e., to add focus to photographic artworks created by Lithuanian and foreign artists. Even 10 galleries will present precisely selected collections of photographs for the 5th Art Fair composed to serve the universal expectations of prospective buyers – from region-suited prices to the names of well-known artists.
However, the photographic emphasis does not change the traditional concept of the Art Fair – innovative conservatism. The organisers and participants of the Art Fair have been for several years reflecting the latest trends in the art field that are acceptable both to visitors and buyers, presenting them modern and academic painting styles, multi-layer pictorial paintings, post-intellectual humorous “salt” and unpretentious virtuosity in the spaces of ARTVILNIUS.
During the fair, art lovers will be offered an intensive programme and special exhibitions. From the thematic point of view, a solo exhibition dedicated to the anniversary of Antanas Sutkus’s will be definitely impressive. It will be accompanied by a photography exhibition by the Stanikas, Paulius and Svajonė, presentations of Lewben Art Foundation collection (Žilvinas Kempinas, Ray Bartkus, Aidas Bareikis, Kęstutis Zapkus) and Cyland.org video art collection. In addition, visitors will enjoy a special installation by Vladimiras Tarasovas created for the traditional large-sized exhibition of sculptures and installations “Takas” (“the Path”).
This year, the organisers have identified topics for public discussions relating to the theory and practice of collecting. In addition, meetings with artists, presentations of films and art publications are, as usual, on the agenda of the ARTVILNIUS Fair, along with demonstrations of the Rupert Art Incubator, Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Centre, galleries of the Academies of Art from Vilnius, Latvia and Georgia. The quality of participants of the upcoming fair and the profile of the accompanying programme show that the 5th ARTVILNIUS Fair will once again demonstrate the emerging traditions in the regional art market which review will be intriguing to viewers, gratifying to buyers and beneficial to gallerists.
For more information see ARTVILNIUS’14’
