Vilnius: art in public places and permanent exhibitions

Vilnius is full of art. It would be best to let your eyes wander, and the images will pop up from the buildings. You will also meet modern sculptures and incredible interiors dedicated to beloved Lithuanians and foreigners or the free spirit of the world.

Hooked by Mindaugas Navakas

Mindaugas Navakas loved and still loves surprising others with his urbanistic inventions, and his “Kablys” (the Hook, 1995) on the old Railway Cultural Center building has earned him a national prize. It’s somewhat puzzling because, during that time, the center served as a cradle for contra-culture. You surely get hooked.

Kauno st. 52.

The Frank Zappa fan club

The idea to erect a memorial in Vilnius for the first composer of conceptual rock music Frank Zappa was born in 1995 to a group of devotees who called themselves the Frank Zappa fan club and who shared the commemorated Frank’s idea that humor is essential to music.

Frank Zappa Memorial, K.Kalinausko st. square

Everyone is an artist

Exhibition displays are wider than the Contemporary Art Center (CAC) – this center often becomes the place where artists venture along with their projects to public places. Pierre Bismuth and Jonathan Monk made encryption on CAC walls: “Everyone is an artist, but only artists are aware of it” (2001).

Vokieciu st. 2

Optical illusions of Kazys Varnelis

After one of my buddies last visited the extraordinary Kazys Varnelis mini-museum, he sounded like he’s gone to an amusement park. Having sat among neo-classical French sculptures on Bauhaus furniture, he lost his head in incredibly ample optical art painting and was saved by a sweet museum guide.

Didzioji st. 26

Legendary Neringa

The legendary “Neringa” cafe, upon opening in 1959, became the prime location for meetings and discussions among Vilnius intellectuals. Nobel Prize Laureate in Poetry – J. Brodsky wrote a poem about it. It was monumentalized in the art film “Love, Jazz, and the Devil”. Finally, its interior is still inviting for any occasion.

Gedimino av. 23

A perfect Monument for nothing

Robert Henke’s aka Monolake description of the empty ex-Lenin square best explains this place in space and time.

Lukiskiu square

Vilnius sport and concert hall

Having won the prize for the best architecture in Vilnius in more than one unofficial survey, the unique constructions of Vilnius sports and concert hall had once escaped demolition only by a whisker. It’s a catch for any fans of communistic architecture.

Next to Mindaugas bridge