One of the largest international contemporary art festivals in the Baltic region, the 13th Kaunas Biennial will take place from 12 November 2021 to 20 February 2022. The exhibition, titled “Once Upon Another Time… gyveno jie jau kitaip” offers reflections on current global situations, including the pandemic, with a curatorial project that explores human resilience and adaptation. Curated by Josée Drouin-Brisebois, the biennial investigates different forms of storytelling and narrative in contemporary art. At times, these stories are grounded in myths and fictions associated with the passage of time, transformation and evolution. In other moments they explore experienced personal and communal tales of survival. The exhibition proposes, a sharing of stories rooted in diverse worldviews and moments in time, from the past, present and even the future.
Photo – Josée Drouin-Brisebois personal archive ©
The biennial will bring together 23 international artists and groups from Lithuania, Poland, Germany, France, United Kingdom, USA, Canada and Brazil. Ten new artworks are being commissioned for the 13th Kaunas Biennial, an event that will be one of the most significant contemporary art events opening Kaunas European Capital of Culture 2022.
Photo – M. Stasiulionytė © Neringa Kulik
Drouin-Brisebois stated: “Through a series of engaging encounters with contemporary art in unusual places, visitors will embark on an exploratory journey of the architectural and lived history of Kaunas, which will be animated in renewed and surprising ways. Through their artworks that convey compelling and resonant narratives, the artists consider the resilience and adaptation of living beings, as many continue to face adversity, injustice, oppression and climate change. The aim is to encourage audiences to connect through the familiarity of storytelling, to foster empathy and hopefully new understanding”.
