The Lithuanian visual arts community marked the beginning of summer in festive spirits this year: On 1 June, the first Lithuanian Visual Art Criticism Awards were presented at the National Gallery of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. Over the course of the celebratory evening, nine statuettes created by artist Gediminas Akstinas were handed out to the winners in four categories, along with two special mentions given to other noteworthy initiatives. The winners will also receive cash prizes.

This year’s Art Criticism Awards were initiated and organised by three institutions: the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), the National Gallery of Art, and the cultural organisation Artnews.lt. Their representatives – Virginija Januškevičiūtė, Justina Zubaitė-Bundzė, Vaida Stepanovaitė and Goda Aksamitauskaitė – gave an opening speech greeting guests on behalf of the initiators, organisers and partners (the Lithuanian branch of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) and the Association of Cultural Periodicals), and sharing short stories about this year’s Art Criticism Awards and their origins. They also thanked the Lithuanian Council for Culture for funding the project.

Another welcome speech was given by the Head of the National Gallery of Art, Lolita Jablonskienė. ‘We all probably started our careers as art critics. All of us have, whether willingly or not, written critical texts or otherwise participated in the life of art criticism,’ noted Jablonskienė.

The event, hosted by storyteller Domas Raibys, continued with a commentary by writer, curator and art critic Monika Kalinauskaitė, written specially for the occasion that was dedicated to the art community, institutions, friends, challenges and expectations. ‘Good criticism is not a miracle: it is rather a good deed that requires words to be forced out when necessary. Even if from your own bones. Because they enable someone to continue creating the things we all love together,’ said Kalinauskaitė in her poetic speech. 

In response to the initiators’ call for nominations, the public nominated 350 candidates in four categories. The five-member jury – consisting of art historian and cultural journalist Jogintė Bučinskaitė, art historian and lecturer at Vytautas Magnus University Linara Dovydaitytė, artist, writer and editor at the magazine Dailė, Aistė Kisarauskaitė, writer and curator Valentinas Klimašauskas, and curator, writer and lecturer at Vilnius Academy of Arts, Laima Kreivytė – selected 39 authors of texts, broadcasts and publications as candidates for the awards, out of which nine were awarded prizes, and two were given special mentions.

Laima Kreivytė announced the first winner of the inaugural Visual Art Criticism Awards in Lithuania, one of three winners in the Short Form category. The award was given to JELENA ŠALAJ for her text ‘Tarp magijos ir religijos: ką Pierre’as Bourdieu pasakytų apie fotografuojančias supermamas?’ (‘Between Magic and Religion: what would Pierre Bourdieu say about supermoms taking pictures?’), published in the magazine Šiaurės Atėnai. Šalaj thanked the jury as well as her teachers and inspirers Alfonsas Andriuškevičius and Natalija Arlauskaitė: ‘I sent the text to Natalija and she said: “You know, it even made me cry. It’s a good text.” And she has said that many times, but now I can finally believe that my texts are good.’

The second award in the Short Form category was presented to IEVA GUDAITYTĖ by the chairman of the Association of Cultural Periodicals, poet Gytis Norvilas, for the text ‘Ritmiška “Bebalsių” drąsa būti tokiems pat’ (‘The Rhythmic Courage of “The Mutes” to Be the Same’), published in the magazine Literatūra ir menas. 

The third prize in the Short Form category was awarded by Monika Gimbutaitė, film critic and director of the publishing house Lapas. The prize went to MONIKA KALINAUSKAITĖ and EILEEN MYLES for their conversation ‘Kad būtum saugi, turi visą laiką keisti užraktus. Interviu su Eileen Myles’ (‘You Have to Change the Locks All the Time to Be Safe. Interview with Eileen Myles’), published on Artnews.lt.

The Long Form category was presented by art historian, lecturer at Vytautas Magnus University and jury member Linara Dovydaitytė, who summarised it as follows: ‘We received a total of 40 nominations. This is not a very large number out of 350. Yet it was books, catalogues, magazines, texts, television and radio programmes, podcasts, public lecture series – so not just one lecture, but at least four – several diploma theses, and even one – you might be surprised – entire doctoral dissertation.’

Dovydaitytė also presented the first award in the Long Form category, which went to guest editor NERINGA ČERNIAUSKAITE for her issue of the magazine Body as a Journal (4), published by the Lithuanian Cultural Institute. ‘I would like to recall words that Laura Kaminskaitė’s once wrote to me, that criticism is a form of love. Indeed, good criticism is born out of a care and love for art. I hope that this loving relationship will continue to be strong, mutual and long-lasting,’ said Černiauskaitė in her acceptance speech.

The second award in the Long Form category was presented by Rasa Antanavičiūtė, head of the Lithuanian section of the International Association of Art Critics. It went to ASTA VAIČIULYTE as editor of the book Pokalbiai apie Lietuvos šiuolaikinį meną (Conversations on Lithuanian Contemporary Art), published by the Contemporary Art Centre. ‘I would like to thank all the contributors of the book, because this book contains the words and thoughts of 54 people,’ said Vaičiulytė.

Awards in the Long Form category were complemented by two special mentions, announced by jury member Jogintė Bučinskaitė: the radio programme Puota (AUDRIUS POCIUS and DEIMANTĖ BULBENKAITĖ) and the TV programme Indivizijos (curated by JOLANTA MARCIŠAUSKYTĖ-JURAŠIENĖ).

The next award category, Texts by Artists and Curators, was presented by writer, curator and jury member Valentinas Klimašauskas. ‘Art criticism and artists’ and curators’ texts probably have little in common. I am very happy that this award not only unites the critics’ guild, but also expands the concept of text or critical writing and goes beyond what we are used to,’ said Klimašauskas in his speech before presenting the first award in the category.

The award went to AGNĖ JOKŠĖ for the creation of a non-heteronormative language and a politically creative critique of the writer’s most important instrument and space – language – in her text ‘At a Loss for Words’, featured in the magazine Body as a Journal published by the Lithuanian Culture Institute. ‘I haven’t been in this field all that long, so every acknowledgement is a strong encouragement to be even more courageous,’ said Jokšė in her thank you speech.

Monika Krikštopaitytė – art critic, curator, author and editor-in-chief of the cultural weekly magazine 7 meno dienos – presented the second award in the category Texts by Artists and Curators to PAULINA PUKYTĖ for her commentary ‘Apie dvi menininkes’ (‘About Two Artists’) broadcast on the Lithuanian Radio and Television’s (LRT) radio programme Kultūros savaitė. The jury praised the author’s work in creating a dramatic confrontation between the ‘Grandmother of performance art’ Marina Abramović and the ‘holy fool’ Elena Osipova – a confrontation so vehement that its echoes went all the way to Poland – as well as for her poetic montage of texts and a distinctive genre of performative critical commentary.

The third award in the category Texts by Artists and Curators was given by artist Anastasia Sosunova: the statuette went to AURELIJA MAKNYTĖ for her text ‘Gal Dievas buvo voras’ (‘Maybe God Was a Spider’), published in the newspaper Šiaurės Atėnai.

The last category, titled Phenomenon of the Year, awarded to just one winner, was presented by artist, writer and jury member Aistė Kisarauskaitė. ‘I think that what unites the three nominees in this category is the fact that they all name things we have swarming in our heads, ringing in our ears and hurting us – things that we have thought about many times, but for some reason have never expressed,’ said Aistė Kisarauskaitė, presenting the authors nominated in this category – Agnė Jokšė, Agnė Narušytė and Paulina Pukytė. 

The winner of the Phenomenon of the Year category was AGNĖ NARUŠYTĖ, for her sensual and consistent inclusion of the topic of the ongoing war in Ukraine in the discourse of art criticism, expressed in her series of articles in the cultural weekly 7 meno dienos and in her commentaries on the LRT radio programme Kultūros savaitė. ‘I would like to thank the cultural media, because in being able to survive and exist in these harsh conditions, it forces us to write criticism. I don’t know, maybe some of you would still write wonderful criticism, but there are all kinds of topical issues that wouldn’t be written about if publications didn’t commission it,’ said Narušytė.

The first Art Criticism Awards ceremony attracted a wonderful turnout of guests and was a splendid celebration for the country’s visual art community as well as all of those who appreciate and value culture.

A recording of the ceremony can be watched here [starting at 28:20].

WINNERS OF THE ART CRITICISM AWARDS:

Short Form:

JELENA ŠALAJ ‘Tarp magijos ir religijos: ką Pierre’as Bourdieu pasakytų apie fotografuojančias supermamas?’ (‘Between Magic and Religion: what would Pierre Bourdieu say about supermoms taking pictures?’)

IEVA GUDAITYTĖ ‘Ritmiška „Bebalsių“ drąsa būti tokiems pat’ (‘The Rhythmic Courage of “The Mutes” to Be the Same’)

MONIKA KALINAUSKAITĖ and EILEEN MYLES Kad būtum saugi, turi visą laiką keisti užraktus. Interviu su Eileen Myles (‘You Have to Change the Locks All the Time to Be Safe. Interview with Eileen Myles’)

Long Form:

NERINGA ČERNIAUSKAITĖ Body as a Journal (4)

ASTA VAIČIULYTĖ Pokalbiai apie Lietuvos šiuolaikinį meną (Conversations on Lithuanian Contemporary Art)

Special mention in the Long Form category:

Radio programme Puota (Audrius Pocius and Deimantė Bulbenkaitė)

Television programme Indivizijos (curated by Jolanta Marcišauskytė-Jurašienė)

Texts by Artists and Curators: 

AGNĖ JOKŠĖ ‘At a Loss for Words’

PAULINA PUKYTĖ ‘Apie dvi menininkes’ (‘About Two Artists’) 

AURELIJA MAKNYTĖ ‘Gal Dievas buvo voras’ (‘Maybe God Was a Spider’)

Phenomenon of the Year:

AGNĖ NARUŠYTĖ for her series of articles on the topic of war in the magazine 7 Meno dienos and in her commentary on the LRT radio programme Kultūros savaitė