The Audra festival announces an art program: from architectural interventions to VR and performances

As Kaunas prepares for the contemporary city festival “Audra”, which will awaken the city from June 5-9, the organizers reveal the list of creators of the art program.

This year, almost two dozen promising artists from Europe and Lithuania will present themselves to the art-hungry festival participants. From VR experiences to architectural interventions and performances reviving the walls of industrial spaces, the city will soon be plunged into a real storm of art, music and culture.

Not only creators promise to open new horizons at the festival, but also iconic spaces – M. Žilinskas gallery, which will soon be closed for reconstruction, and “Pergalė” steel factory. Audros’ returning art program will invite you to explore the theme of ‘Islands and Archipelagos’ and offer new scenarios to familiar city locations.

“The island is a symbol of resistance, refuge from social, political and other pressures. The islands are constantly growing and merging, transforming themselves and transforming the city formed by them, while at the same time reminding us that no island exists in complete isolation,” say the creators of the program.

Installations – on three floors of M. Žilinskas gallery

For four days in M. Žilinskas gallery, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the stunning visions of exhibition curator Tautvydas Urbelis and exhibition architect Vladas Suncovs. Moving between three floors of installations, architectural interventions, computer-generated images, sounds, expressive illusions and visual illusions, visitors will enter a new, fragmented world. It includes journeys through the invisible worlds of mushrooms and waters, transformations of materials and concepts, and all-overshadowing, hypnotic light.

Joey Holder, an artist balancing between London and Hessinki, who lives by philosophical ideas, will invite visitors to take a journey through the unknown spaces of the ocean. Performer and sound art creator Matilda Tjäder will sound the spaces of M. Žilinskas with a sound collage, while interdisciplinary art creator Léa Porré will create a built-in installation combining digital and magical ornaments.

A group of contemporary art creators will present their works: Algirdas Jakas, who subtly combines the connection of materials and emotions, Eglė Ruibytė, who explores the poetry of industrial logistics, artists Emilija Povilanskaitė and Jurgis Lietunovas, who will present a new joint work to “Audra”, Tomas Daukša, who maneuvers between naive sincerity and deep convictions, “In the Storm” “creating the relief of fountains; Mykolas Valantinas, who studies photography, film and installation media, will question the Kaunian status quo, Ringailė Demšytė will transfer the invisible world of mushrooms and its language to the virtual world, Saulė Miežytė will illuminate the darkened spaces of the gallery with her sculptures, and Tsingyun Zhang, a Berlin-based designer who creates and explores digital ruins, will cover the spaces with impressive CGI landscape.

Visions of the industrial world – in contemporary art performances

The performance program at the “Pergalė” steel factory will remind you of the carnal and sensual nature of the industrial world. Performance artists moving between metal machines, cranes and anvils will bring long-forgotten spaces to a new life saturated with contemporary art.

One of the guests of the festival is Malik Nashad Sharpe, an artist known for his sharp, provocative and audience-engaging performances, also known as Marikiscrycrycry. The choreographer and master of movement explores the themes of coercion and violence in his works, and brings to the festival a dance performance that dives straight into the depths of psychological horror. It will be possible to see Malik in “Audra” twice – the artist will present the performance both in M. Žilinskas gallery and in “Pergalė” steel factory.

Welsh artist Ella Skinner will also temporarily live in the industrial spaces. Having started her creative path with literature, E. Skinner increasingly appeared on the experimental art scenes in Wales and England, and today she successfully creates installations and performances that challenge traditional forms of art and discipline. It is no exception and together with the rap star Iceboy Violet, her latest work is presented in “Audra”, the center of which is an ice sculpture constantly changing its forms, surrounded by sounds and vocals.

The spaces of the “Pergalė” steel factory will also be cozy by choreographer, performance artist Jette Loona Hermanis, who mainly creates in the Baltic countries. Together with Reyna Deyna, combining electronic sound and body movements, the artist evocatively depicts hyperreal situations, subtly separated by the veil of the digital world. This time, her solo performance deals with the themes of loneliness, sadness, and survival.

Indonesian artist duo Gabber Modus Operandi will join the performances. Using examples of traditional Indonesian music, the project tries to bridge the gap between humor, contemporary music and established musical traditions. The artists who draw the line between what is sacred and what is banal will leave the final decision to the listeners, and with their performance will combine the art and music program held at the “Pergalė” steel factory.

Earlier this week, Audra presented a program of activities, an article about it can be found here.

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