Eglė Budvytytė to represent Lithuania at the 61st La Biennale di Venezia

The project has been commissioned by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. The Commissioner is Lolita Jablonskienė, Director of the National Gallery of Art, a subdivision of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. It is being curated by Louise O’Kelly, independent curator and founding Director of Block Universe, the leading international performance art festival and commissioning body.

The pavilion architecture will be designed by Kārlis Bērziņš of ĒTER, who co-curated and co-designed the Baltic pavilion at the Venice Biennale Architettura 2016, a joint exhibition by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The work for the pavilion draws upon the research and theories of Lithuanian archeologist Marija Gimbutas, into Neolithic spirituality and the non-separability between the sacred and the everyday. While questioning colonial dimensions inherent in the science of archaeology, this new film poetically translates archaeological materials into choreographies of collectivity, rhythms and song.

Eglė Budvytytė is an artist based in Vilnius and Amsterdam working at the intersection between the visual and performing arts. Her practice, spanning song, video and performance, explores the persuasive power of collectivity, vulnerability and permeable relationships between bodies, audiences and the environment.

Eglė Budvytytė said “I am thrilled and humbled to create a pavilion for the Biennale di Venezia. Together with a group of collaborators and kindred spirits, we’re readying for a deep dive into the ideas that have been feeding us in recent years — the intimacies of relations between land and bodies, ritual and the power of collectivity.”

Still from the film Warmblooded and Earthbound, 2024

Louise O’Kelly, Curator, said "I am honoured  to collaborate with Eglė and the National Gallery of Art team in curating the Lithuanian Pavilion for the next Venice Biennale. Having worked with Eglė over several years, I am continually drawn to the depth and authenticity of her inquiry into the practice of embodiment, social relations, and our symbiotic relationship with the environment. Eglė’s practice offers a unique worldview that speaks to the significance of ancient belief systems and other ways of knowing and being together – community-centred values that feel more urgent and necessary than ever."

Lolita Jablonskienė, Commissioner, said, “The Lithuanian National Museum of Art is delighted to share the news that Eglė Budvytytė will present new work for the 61st Venice Biennale; one of her most ambitious projects to date. Drawing upon ideas and theories across time and geography, the work responds to and highlights the intimacies between the land and body.”

Lithuania has participated in the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of La Biennale di Venezia since 1999. The Lithuanian Pavilion has been awarded a special mention four times, and in 2019 it won the Golden Lion for Sun and Sea (Marina). 

Main Image: Eglė Budvytytė. Photo: Alexandre Guirkinger