International Sculpture Creative Workshop “Baltic Nights” Begins in Šiauliai
Organised by Šiauliai Culture Centre. Funded by Šiauliai City Municipality.
An important part of the opening evening was the launch of A. Ališanka’s sculpture exhibition “Migrating Dialogues”. The title of the exhibition symbolically echoes the concept of the creative workshop itself – an encounter between different artists, experiences, works of art and spaces.
“It is probably no coincidence that the title of the exhibition, ‘Migrating Dialogues’, opens a path towards dialogue and getting to know one another. I believe that the results of this plein-air workshop will certainly surprise us,” said Deimantė Bačiulė, Director of Šiauliai Culture Centre.
During the opening evening, philosopher Jurgis Dieliautas invited visitors to take a closer look at Arvydas Ališanka’s work. According to him, what matters in the artist’s works is not only the form itself, but also what it reveals to the viewer. Here, sculpture becomes an open experience in which the artwork, space and person meet, inviting the viewer not merely to observe, but to discover their own relationship with what they see.
A. Ališanka himself described the works on display as a collection created during different periods of his artistic career, acquiring a new relationship with its surroundings and viewers in each new space.
“You try to understand sculpture through the dimensions of your own body. The works that are here now come from different periods. I hope they speak to one another, to you and to this space. It is a certain collection of mine that travels from one gallery space to another. You create sculptures and then they begin to live lives of their own. I try, in a way, to intervene and find the right place for each sculpture at a particular moment,” A. Ališanka said about the relationship between his works, space and the viewer.
The dialogue between sculpture and space was complemented by the spoken word during the exhibition opening, with literary readings by the sculptor’s brother, poet, translator and essayist Eugenijus Ališanka.
The evening continued with the presentation of the participants of the international sculpture creative workshop “Baltic Nights”. This year, five artists from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will come together in the historic Bugailiškis garden. Their diverse artistic practices – ranging from interdisciplinary art and performance to abstract and classical sculpture – will offer different perspectives on the idea and legacy of the Baltic Way.
Interdisciplinary artist Triinu Jürves explores human experience and social processes through painting, collage, objects and installations. Fellow Estonian artist Kaarel Kütas creates performances, paintings, graphic works and installations, paying particular attention to interactions between different artistic disciplines. Latvian sculptor Roberts Bāliņš uses abstract and anthropomorphic forms to convey emotions and inner human states. Lithuanian artists Kazys Venclovas and Jonas Vaitkevičius are experienced sculptors whose works place particular emphasis on form, the expressive qualities of materials and philosophical thought.
From today, 18 August, the live creative stage of “Baltic Nights” begins. Every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors to the garden of the P. Bugailiškis Ethnology Centre will be able to observe the artists at work, learn more about their creative ideas and witness how concepts and chosen materials gradually take shape as works of art.
This year’s workshop participants are united not only by their diverse artistic experiences from across the Baltic States, but also by a shared ambition to reinterpret the idea of the Baltic Way through the language of contemporary art. What five different artists will have to say about freedom, unity and togetherness will be revealed over the course of this week.
The creative workshop programme will also feature additional events. On 19 August at 7 p.m., Gintautas Gascevičius will present his latest mystical novel “KA ir BA” in the garden of the P. Bugailiškis Ethnology Centre. The presentation will be accompanied by a musical performance combining acoustic instruments, electronics, unexpectedly sounding objects, visuals and improvisation into a unified sonic experience.
On 23 August, Baltic Way Day, the “Baltic Nights” closing evening will begin at 7 p.m. For the first time, the artworks created during the week will be presented to the public, while the evening will conclude with a concert of original music by composer Antanas Jasenka. Some of the works created during the workshop will remain in the garden of the P. Bugailiškis Ethnology Centre, becoming a permanent part of this cultural space.
More moments from the event:
Gallery “Laiptai” Facebook photo album
Photos by Darius Ančerevičius.
For more information, please contact Kristina Alseikė, Event Organiser at the Exhibitions Department of Šiauliai Culture Centre, tel. +370 658 80 507, email: kristina.alseike@siauliukc.lt.
Atnaujinta: 2026-08-21 11:50