Photos – courtesy of Meno Niša, Andrej Vasilenko ©
On 25 April, 6 pm, Vilnius city gallery Meno Niša invites everyone to the opening celebration of the 10th International Vilnius Biennial of Enamel Art Vilnius 2024. 38 invited artists from Japan, Estonia, Venezuela, France, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Lithuania and Sakartvelo will present their works.
The Vilnius Biennial of Enamel Art is a bi-yearly event and the only one dedicated to professional enamel art in the Baltic States. The Biennial is curated by its founder and jeweller Marytė Dominaitė, who has extensive experience in the field of enamel art, and Dr. Jurgita Ludavičienė, a curator, art historian, and writer on contemporary jewellery for over 20 years.
Sofi Etsadashvilli
“Started in 2005, the Biennial has transformed Vilnius into a vibrant centre of enamel art, recognizable and well-known among the capitals of Eastern and Western Europe, enamel art professionals and fans. We are delighted that this year’s International Biennial of Enamel Art, now in its tenth year, is celebrating the name of Vilnius and the Vilnius City Goldsmiths’ Guild, founded 529 years ago,” said artist Marytė Dominaitė, founder of the Biennial and one of the Biennial’s curators.
The main theme of the anniversary Biennial of Enamel Art is Masterpiece. Professional enamel artists who have participated in previous Biennials and whose works have been nominated by international juries for prizes or commendations have been selected and invited to the Biennial. 38 artists from Japan, Estonia, Venezuela, France, Latvia, Israel, Lithuania, and Sakartvelo will participate in the exhibition, presenting more than 60 works in various enamelling techniques.
Julius Vaitkus
According to one of the curators of the Biennial, art historian Dr. J. Ludavičienė, enamel art is an exceptional genre in which the tradition of craft comes across in a contemporary, innovative, and conceptual way. This was a requirement in the selection of works for previous enamel art biennials, and it is even more relevant for the anniversary exhibition.
“At the 10th International Biennial of Enamel Art, visitors will be able to see the different ways of using enamel: the subtle transformative enamel, the bold industrial enamel, to compare the creative styles of artists from different countries, and to see what “masterpieces” they have created. Here, enamel is combined with amber, precious stones, silver, or sheet gold. It moves onto copper vessels and book covers, unexpectedly becoming a painting or a three-dimensional sculpture, dazzling with colour and seducing with the subtlety of its technique,” said Ludavičienė.
Visitors will also be able to see an enamel installation created to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Vilnius – Duke Gediminas’ Cloak. The project involved three hundred Vilnius residents and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, from six to eighty-six years of age, who used 700 original enamel-coated copper plates to create a collective work of art in the form of interpretations of the motifs and symbols of Vilnius city, which were combined to form one large Duke Gediminas’ Cloak, dedicated to the birthday of Vilnius. The work was realized in cooperation with the Tomas Zanas Library, the Justinas Vienožinskis Art School, the Vilnius Region Skaisčio Scouts Troop, the Vincas Grybas Memorial Museum, the Vilnius City Municipality social care home Vilniaus Lakštingalos namai (Vilnius Nightingale’s House), and others.
The International Vilnius Biennial of Enamel Art Vilnius 2024 will be open until May 18 at the gallery Meno Niša. Later, in July, the collection of the International Biennial of Enamel Art Vilnius 2024 will be presented in Tallinn, Estonia, in August – at the Sigulda Cultural Centre in Latvia, and in September – at the Panevėžys City Art Gallery.
Ana Mercedes Carvallo
Organizers of the Biennial: Vilnius City Gallery Meno Niša, Goldsmiths’ Guild. Sponsor – Vilnius City Municipality. The project is implemented within the framework of the Vilnius City Municipality’s Fine Crafts, Ethnographic Businesses, and Fairs program.
