Venue and Dates: The project-exhibition “Mindaugas Lukošaitis. Vilnius in the Dust of the Graphic” was held at the Vilnius Town Hall from November 30, 2022, to January 28, 2023.
Funding: The project was funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
About the Artist: Mindaugas Lukošaitis (b. 1980) has had his drawings exhibited in many international shows. His work has attracted significant interest from audiences worldwide and is of interest to contemporary art collectors. Along with his brother Gintautas, he represented Lithuania at the 26th São Paulo Biennial, and Phaidon Publishers have presented him as one of the most intriguing contemporary draughtsmen. His ability to navigate through the diverse ideas of contemporary art while maintaining a unique connection to the archetypal powers of traditional drawing keeps him in the spotlight. Lukošaitis’ drawing cycles explore the histories of Lithuanian post-war partisans, the Northern War, Lithuanian Jews, and the Rwandan genocide, blending objective, investigative strokes with empathetic event visions.
About the Exhibition: This exhibition presents a personalized narrative from the artist—Mindaugas Lukošaitis’ interpretation of Vilnius’ centuries-old history. The exhibition was dedicated to the 700th anniversary of Vilnius.
Art Historian V. Kinčinaitis: “Mindaugas Lukošaitis depicts Vilnius as a fantasizing mason. He meticulously draws the old town’s perspective, laying heavy stone foundations, mixing poisonous plaster, molding baroque cornices, raising wooden crossbeams, and carefully covering them with wave-patterned tiles. He later creates a furnace and observes the smoking chimney for a long time. Exploring the shadows of the night, he wistfully counts the steps of the Gothic moon. When bored, he chases the tail of stars and gets entangled in the dreams of Vilnius’ old inhabitants.
Mindaugas enriches graphite with the plasticity of a virtual pencil, revealing strange cityscapes where antiquity mingles with future ruins, the Lazdynai fire is extinguished by the Neris flood, and digital color tones are overshadowed by the echo of medieval bells.”
Photos: Vytas Nomadas
