Vilnius will clean up illegal street art even more intensively next year, the creators of which are called vandals. Part of the city has already been cleaned, and 2 million euros have been allocated for this in 1,5 years. While the capital is being cleaned, there are those who call such works a fight against windmills: it seems that the wall scavengers will always find a way to make themselves known.
Asta came to Šiauliai from Klaipėda. A visit on a gray day was brightened up by the drawings on the walls.
"Really brightens the gray walls, beautiful. Klaipeda likes to decorate the underpasses," said Asta.
"It costs nothing to enter a gallery, museum or somewhere else. They just come face to face with the work on the street," said Ernesta Šimkienė, head of the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
"The simplest panel can become a picture, a screen," emphasized art critic Virginijus Kinčinaitis.
The drawings also hide the imperfections of the walls. During this year, 9 new works appeared in Šiauliai, one of them is the astronaut of Algis Krisčiūnas enjoying coffee on the gray wall of the factory.
Specialists say that the drawings on the walls not only beautify the city, attract tourists, but also affect the locals - people start wanting to take care of themselves.
"The garage with the sports field in the courtyard of the apartment building has been tidied up, people have fun, it encourages them to tidy up and do more," said the head of the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
There are also non-standard drawings in Šiauliai, to see some of them, you need to raise your head.
They say there are no limits to art and fantasy, but order is order and not all wall art is legal. This year, Vilnius started a strict policy against illegal artists, whom they call vandals and pickpockets.
"We have already cleaned 50 thousand sq./m, which cost the city 300 thousand. euros. Next year, we promise to significantly increase the pace and clean up to 170 sq./m", emphasized Adomas Bužinskas, Director of Vilnius Municipality Administration.
Next year's ambition is to clean the city even more, which, according to A. Bužinskas, adds both order and security, but will cost a lot.
"In 2 years, we have planned 1,5 million EUR for cleaning works", the director of administration shared the figures.
"Vilnius art projects are narrowing and shrinking, and Šiauliai is not threatened by this, because this is our chance to be more visible," said the art critic.
"I think a balance should be found. Maybe provide spaces so that they can do it", suggested E. Šimkienė.
Such a space was, for example, the famous underground "Panorama Passage", where it was allowed to draw graffiti without a permit for almost a decade, but in the last months it has changed beyond recognition, so there are no longer any legal borders.
Previously, it was thought that such a space would condense painters into one place and they would no longer expand, but private buildings still suffered. Now A. Bužinskas says that if he continues to paint without permits, consequences await.
"We have cameras in the city, so it is very likely that you will be caught and you will have to pay for the damaged property," explained the director of administration.
Author: Aušra Šiaulytė I LNK.LT
