EUR 0.5 million to those who are creating Vilnius – artists are invited to take part in a contest

The contest “Kuriu Vilnių” (English: “I am Creating Vilnius”) decorating spaces of the city in a modern way for the fourth consecutive year is back – artists can win up to EUR 70 000 for offering an idea and implementing it in any area of the capital of their choice. The City of Vilnius has allocated a total of EUR 0.5 million for the implementation of ideas and is waiting for applications till 15 February 2021.

“During the first three years of its existence, the contest “Kuriu Vilnių” has positively changed the face of the city, especially neighbourhoods further away from the city centre, and inspired many great talents to create. Support of the City allowed authentic pieces of art, which became the center of attraction, to appear in almost all elderships of the city. This period of our life is difficult for everyone, but it also opens up new paths that encourage creativity: I invite artists to create, offer their ideas, to make their city more beautiful and famous,” the Mayor of the capital Remigijus Šimašius said.

Works of art are especially welcome in areas of the city that are priority areas at this stage of the programme, namely, Karoliniškės, Fabijoniškės and Naujininkai. Karoliniškės and Fabijoniškės do not have a single object from “Kuriu Vilnių” so far, and Naujininkai is a rapidly changing district with an ambition to become the gate of the city, aiming to have its public spaces arranged and its living environment enlivened, thus lifting Naujininkai to a completely different level and raising the district anew. This year, we call for more than just drawings or sculptural elements, but encourage to search and offer more diverse solutions.

Vilnius also invites to offer ideas on how to turn a standard old obsolete metal garage into a work of art – currently such garages are being removed around the city, freeing up state land for public spaces and infrastructure development. If artists will offer some original and acceptable ideas, the City plans to look for a place for one or several of such garages in public spaces, leaving them as an artistic attribute reminding of the perishing culture of metal garages.

Ideas on how to renovate the underground passage in Lazdynai (next to Erfurto g. 1) are also very welcome.

This year, there are multi-apartment communities that offer walls of their buildings for works of art themselves, thus relieving artists of the burden of organizational matters. Specific locations will be listed next to the description of the “Kuriu Vilnių” service, and the programme coordinator can be contacted for more information.

Applications will be accepted till midnight of the 15^th of February of the following year and by electronic means only. The organizers ask that the size of the uploaded application does not exceed 20 MB. Applications shall be submitted online: https://paslaugos.vilnius.lt/service-list/Paraisku-priemimas-meno-projektu-remimo-programai-Kuriu-Vilniu

In the three years, the programme “Kuriu Vilnių” rendered 26 unique objects of art. You can see all of them online https://vilnius.lt/lt/kuriu-vilniu/

These are sculptures and compositions for the most part, including a Water Carrier (in the Old Town), the sculpture to K. Simanavičius (in Naujininkai), 12 cubes (in Pašilaičiai), Water Lilies (in Naujamiestis), Snowmen (in Naujamiestis) and In Three Days (in Naujininkai). Also, two sculptural models of extinct historical objects have been immortalized, namely, the church designed by A. Vivulskis in Naujamiestis and territories of Vilnius castles in the Old Town. Many elderships of Vilnius now have wall paintings. Other unique solutions offered to the city, such as Nostalgia Museum, Patiltė Cinema, Painting Routers and others, came as a real surprise.