Despite artists' criticism of the new graffiti policy, which destroys legal walls for graffiti, Vilnius city municipality does not give up its decision and emphasizes that the previous procedure not only did not work, but also caused new problems.
This week, Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA) students and some teachers appealed to the capital city municipality to oppose the changes in the graffiti policy. According to them, the municipality's decisions to destroy legal graffiti spots and apply more aggressive anti-vandalism measures are redundant.
"The city should be open not only to officially approved initiatives, but also to provide space for creativity, ideas that do not conflict with proportionate and reasonable prohibitions and essential principles of public order," states the letter of the VDA student representation.
The Vilnius authorities counter that the legal places for graffiti have been abolished after receiving complaints from residents and businesses, and the new measures are already yielding results.
"Some of the legal graffiti walls were in underpasses, so there was an unpleasant smell of aerosol paint - residents were worried that it could be harmful to their health. Business representatives, investing in public infrastructure, do not want legal borders to be close to underground passages, entrances to shopping centers and similar places," the municipality told BNS.
At the end of August, the mayor of the capital Valdas Benkunskas announced that the municipality will allocate 1,54 million to clean graffiti. euros and by 2026 will clean such an area of graffiti that would cover a two-meter-high wall stretching 110 kilometers.
Also, the municipality began to destroy legal drawing places, claiming that they did not reduce the volume of illegal graffiti, but simply became a test space for such drawings.
"We are for freedom of creativity"
Rugilė Bernadeta Matuzaitė, a member of the student representation of the Academy of Arts and the initiator of the appeal to the municipality, told BNS that she hopes that the municipality will not only return the previously legal places to graffiti artists, but also coordinate the planned policy with the artist community.
"We do not defend those who engage in illegal activities, but we are for freedom of creativity. The current conditions are very restrictive," she told BNS.
RB Matuzaitei was seconded by Eglė Ganda Bogdanienė, the chairwoman of the Union of Lithuanian Artists. According to her, spaces where artists could freely express their creative ideas are very important for the city of Vilnius.
"Any decisions that limit creative freedom or destroy the legal creative infrastructure must be evaluated with extreme caution," the professor commented to BNS.
"Blurs the lines between art and vandalism"
Responding to artists' criticism, the municipality emphasizes that it is open to discussions with artists, but does not intend to reconsider the decision on the legal destruction of walls for graffiti.
The local authorities also point out that opportunities to paint legally still exist.
"Those who want to implement creative projects on the walls of Vilnius can apply to the city municipality for the issuance of a permit to paint on buildings or infrastructure objects," the capital's municipality told BNS.
According to her, those who wish to receive funding for such projects can participate in the programs "Kuriu Vilnių" and "Participate!" Vilnius".
"The presence of legal walls blurs the lines between art and vandalism. The municipality, while implementing the graffiti prevention policy, takes various measures, including education, supporting street art festivals, creating conditions for street artists to implement their ideas in city spaces," the comment reads.
"The municipality is open to legal street art and constantly communicates with both art and culture representatives, showing the initiative to create in the city with equal rights with representatives of other types of art," it states.
In a statement released this week, Vilnius indicated that after the new graffiti policy was consistently implemented, a total of four offenders were arrested in the last two months, one of them a minor.
Illegal painting on walls or structures is punishable by a fine of up to 140 euros for the first time, and up to 600 euros if the violation is committed repeatedly.
Author Adam Zienka
