Thirteen well-known artists accepted the challenge to create the largest gallery in Lithuania in the stairwell. The real estate management and development company "MG Valda" gathered a team of sculptors, painters, ceramicists, graphic artists, and photographers who will turn the staircases of the "Užupis krantinių" settlement into unique art galleries.
"Uzhupis is inseparable from the art that permeates even the walls of the houses and is the visiting card of this district. By gathering as many as thirteen well-known artists for a unique project - the largest art gallery in the stairwells in Lithuania - we nurture the spirit of the district and aim to complement it", says Akvilė Liaudanskienė, marketing manager of MG Valdas.
The gallery of "Užupis krantinii" in the stairwells will be decorated with the works of Eglė Ridikaitė, Kristina Norvilaitė, Vaida Keleras, Kunigunda Dineikaitė, Tomas Martišauskis, Nerijas Baublis, Sonata Vosyliūtė Čepukėnienė, Mariaus Skundžinskas, Mingailė Mikelėnaitė, Vita and Gediminas Kalinauskas, Justė Kildišytė and Monikarima Geditė.
The "Užupis quays" project is divided into house staircases, each of which is named after the professions of the old residents of Užupis. Each staircase of the house, of which there are 18 in total, will feature different works by different authors, reflecting the identity of that house and different professions. For example, limited edition prints of the works of the painter Eglė Ridikaitė from the series of works "Palikimas. Babutas skarialas", at that time the unique compositions of masks by ceramist Mingailė Mikelėnaitė will be displayed in the staircase of the Theater House.
"I associate Užupis with freedom. People seem to be different here: they are more creative, freer, and live differently. I always dreamed that real estate developers would cooperate more closely with artists in creating common spaces, giving people the opportunity to enjoy art in more diverse places," says artist Kristina Norvilaitė, who has been creating In Užupi.
Norvilaitė will decorate the Graphic Designers' staircase with graphic works, while the Architects' staircase will feature unique mailboxes-houses, symbolizing freedom.
"In Germany, for example, when building apartment buildings or commercial objects, great attention is paid to the decoration of spaces. Artists are increasingly being used to bring life to common spaces. The transformation of public spaces into a kind of art gallery encourages the public's interest in art and at the same time involves them", says Kunigunda Dineikaitė, creator of the Užupis "Art Incubator".
Dineikaitė's works depicting eternal values, magic, and warmth radiated by Užupis itself will decorate even four staircases of "Užupis krantiniai". For example, constellation trajectories will be drawn on the walls in the Astronomers' Staircase.
The giant mural, which will be across the entire wall of the Painters' staircase, will be created by painter Nerijus Baublys and Sonata Vosyliūtė Čepukėnienė. It is intended to depict the spirit of the Užupis district. "In the fresco, I will try to depict the kind of city I myself had to live in - with towers, playing children, wandering cats and night travelers. At the moment, we are observing a kind of transformation of Užupis, so in my drawing I want to capture what I saw myself while living in this magical area", says N. Baublys.
According to the artist, he was impressed by the opportunity to capture certain impressions of his life period and at the same time to reveal the old spirit of Užupis, to show that it is an exclusive district that combines the historical past with modernity.
This is not the first time that "MG Valda" combines its direct activities and artists' ideas in its developed projects: last year a green space with a park of multifunctional works of art was presented in the Antakalnis district of Vilnius, and already at the end of the year in the capital In the old town the high-class hotel "Artagonist" was opened, where 16 Lithuanian artists turned the hotel rooms into art galleries. The works of famous photo artists are also exhibited in "Egliu terasei", "Pine terasei", and "LightHouse" residences.
