This year, Vilnius Gallery Weekend (VGS) celebrates an important anniversary and invites everyone to embark on art routes for the 10th time. One of the most prominent contemporary art events in Lithuania will take place in the capital on September 11–14 and will invite you to visit exhibitions in galleries and unexpected spaces.
VGS annually invites art institutions, independent galleries, artists and viewers to meet, learn and experience the most relevant artistic processes. Organized since 2016, VGS marks the beginning of a new exhibition season in Vilnius. Its goal is to introduce the city's residents and guests to the art spaces of the capital, present new initiatives and encourage a long-term habit of visiting galleries. Each year, VGS invites you to discover new points of view, follow the themes proposed by curators, reflect on cultural experiences and get to know artists.
Curated program – in unexpected spaces
The 2025 VGS continues the tradition of entrusting the curated program to one of the city's art spaces, so the gallery program will be accompanied by a special curated program, which this year is being created by a gallery working with contemporary sculpture (AV17), which has invited art historian Karolina Tomkevičiūtė to join the team.
"We have been living in a state of weightlessness for some time now, and the feeling of uncertainty has become a companion of everyday life. Political, social, and ecological factors challenge the individual to stay on track and adapt while living in a constant state of transition. It often seems that we are constantly standing on the imaginary threshold of choices that we must cross, but at the same time we have to guess which way the step we take will become significant. Our commonality lies in this dilemma, but despite this, we are each looking for different starting points," say the curators of this year's VGS.
When thinking about the curated program of this year's Vilnius Gallery Weekend (VGS), the curators thought about the boundaries and diversity of contemporary sculpture, when the object turns into a process, and space into an experience. Sculpture becomes a platform that invites exploration, it moves away from aesthetic beauty towards critical thinking, experience, social and cultural action, and invites the viewer to participate - to be a part of this relationship. In the curated VGS program "Liminality" works will be presented by 8 artists from Lithuania and abroad: Danas Aleksa, Milda Dainovskytė, Artūras Bumšteinas, Kristaps Epners (Latvija), Ieva Epnere (Latvia), Gabija Švanaitė, Kęstutis Svirnelis and Andris Eglitis (Latvia).
International discussions and growing interest
This year's VGS will be complemented by public international discussions that will discuss the role of galleries and artists in today's society and the art ecosystem. How is the function of galleries changing? What new roles are they taking on? How do artists balance in the contemporary art market? The discussions will become a platform for the exchange of insights and reflection on global art policy.
In addition to the curated program, VGS promises a wide range of events: tours, performances, meetings with artists, and exhibition openings in various galleries in the city. Over the decade, VGS has grown into one of the most significant art platforms, attracting thousands of visitors.
For the organizer – Public Institution “Galerijų sevaitgalis” and the partner Lithuanian Union of Interdisciplinary Artists – it is important not only to present art, but also to talk about the city’s art infrastructure, its accessibility, dynamics and impact on the cultural experience. The VGS project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius city municipality.
