ARTVILNIUS NOMINATIONS – OPENING OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES

It is for the third time when the largest Contemporary Art Fair ARTVILNIUS’12 will present a total of 10 nominations to award the best artists and galleries. 9 best galleries and authors will be awarded on the first day of the art fair, while the winner of the audience prize will be announced at the closing of the art fair.

According to the directress of ARTVILNIUS’12, Mrs. Diana Stomienė, all pieces of art exhibited at the art fair do carry a great value, and it is therefore very difficult to single out the best ones. This complicated task will be vested upon a competent commission of artists and art critics. “It is of great importance for every artist and every gallery to be noticed and distinguished. It is a stimulus for active creative work and future efforts. Awards play a very important role in the creative biography of an author, providing him or her with new opportunities. The best example for this is Linas Blažiūnas, the best young artists of ARTVILNIUS’11. This award opened the doors of art collectors, who started buying his works and coming up with active offers to hold exhibitions”, says Stomienė.

This year, the art fair at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO will cover the area of 10,000 m², hosting 53 art galleries from 12 countries of the world. The galleries will present more than 500 artists and in excess of 1,000 art pieces.

At the same time, the art fair will host a traditional exhibition of large-sized sculptures and installations “Takas” (The Path), present the works of the winners of the Young Painter Prize and films about artist, in addition to lectures, discussions, meetings with gallerists, artists and art critics. Visitors are also waited at the terrace of arts. Young visitors are invited to enjoy an interesting educational programme. Lithuanian AIDAS Gallery has prepared an astonishing surprise for the visitors. It will present an installation by Tarasovas, who is one of the most prominent Lithuanian artists known on the international level.

According to Diana Stomienė, the most striking novelty of this art fair is contemporary Indian art presented by Gallery 21 from Latvia. A famous representative of conceptual art, Abhishek Hazrat from Bangalore, will present 3 performances specially dedicated for Art Fair ARTVILNIUS’12. In addition, visitors of the art fair will see Neo Monster – an inflatable earth-moving machine painted in gold – a project by Vibha Galhotra, one more well-known representative of Indian contemporary art. By her project the author attempts to address environmental problems caused by urban development and globalisations, and damage being done to nature in India.

“This art fair is not only for the gourmets of art; it is for all people interested in art. That’s why we have established the audience prize to be awarded to the gallery and artist winning the most votes of the visitors”, adds Diana Stomienė.

ARTVILNIUS’12 will be open on 27-30 June, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on 1 July from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The art fair is held by the Lithuanian Art Gallerists’ Association. Official opening of the art fair – 27 June, 6 p.m.

Press conference – 27 June, 4 p.m. at LITEXPO Conference Hall 5.1 (5 exhibition hall, floor 2).
Awarded artists and galleries will be first presented to journalists.
There are ten nominations, nine of which will be officially announced at the opening of the art fair:
1. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Lithuanian Artist
2. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Foreign Artist
3. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Young Lithuanian Artist (under 35)
4. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Young Foreign Artist (under 35)
5. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Lithuanian Gallery
6. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Foreign Gallery
7. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Artwork
8. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Sculpture
9. The Best ARTVILNIUS’12 Installation
10. ARTVILNIUS’12 audience award (the Best Gallery, the Best Artist)

ARTVILNIUS’12 panel of judges: chair Dr.Virginijus Kinčinaitis, art critic. Members: Dr. Simona Makselienė, art critic, Ernestas Parulskis, art critic, Dr. Vytautas Rubavičius, culture expert, Dr. Skaidra Trilupaitytė, art critic, Bronius Gražys, painter, Česlovas Lukenskas, artist.