2018 06 12-09 15. Jurgita Žvinklytė: Utenis Calling

Jurgita Žvinklytė

Utenis Calling

The legendary Grand Duke Utenis founded
the town of Utena in Lithuania. According to
Lithuanian genealogy, one of Utenis’ children
was no less of a legend. His name was
Šventaragis and he founded a place of
worship in a valley at the confluence of the
Vilnis and Neris Rivers in Vilnius.
The legends surrounding the founding of both
of these cities are hinted at in the exhibition
as well as the reason why it is being shown in
Vilnius. Truth be told, the entire show is
based on hints on what Utena is and perhaps
could be:
The poet Nyka Nyliūnas considered Utena the
top city in the world. The artist Marijana
Veriovkina had a family mansion in the Utena
region and regarded it as God’s blessing.
Utena is also a revolutionary girl in Japanese
anime. After a month of measuring happiness
in the city of Utena with a “Happiness
Barometer”, the current strategy for the city
of Utena has focused on making the city an
even happier place to live.
This exhibition is about micro-legends and a
creator’s relationship to his native city. Based
on various stories, one is transported in time
from a personal relationship to one of general
history and visions for cities.

Works for the exhibition were created in
collaboration with Lina Praudzinskaitė,
Domas Rinius, Ingrida Kepalaitė, Miglė
Križinauskaitė, Vitalis Červiakovas.
Exhibition Opening: July 12, 7 PM
Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center, Malūnų St. 8,
Vilnius.

Exhibition: July 12 – September 15