International sculpture workshop 'Baltic Nights' begins in Šiauliai

Šiauliai, Lithuania, has become the hub for the international sculpture workshop "Baltic Nights," an event that brings together artists from across the Baltic region. The workshop officially commenced with the opening of Arvydas Ališanka's exhibition, "Migrating Dialogues," at the Šiauliai Culture Center.

Deimantė Bačiulė, director of the Šiauliai Culture Center, noted the symbolic connection between the exhibition's title and the workshop's core idea: the convergence of diverse artists, experiences, and artworks. "The title 'Migrating Dialogues' itself opens a path for dialogue and mutual understanding. I believe the results of this plein air workshop will truly surprise us," Bačiulė remarked.

Philosopher Jurgis Dieliautas, who introduced Ališanka's work, emphasized that the artist's sculptures are significant not only for their form but also for the meaning they convey to the viewer. He described the sculptures as an open experience where the artwork, space, and individual intersect, inviting viewers to find their own relationship with what they observe.

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The title 'Migrating Dialogues' itself opens a path for dialogue and mutual understanding. I believe the results of this plein air workshop will truly surprise us.

Ališanka himself presented the works in the exhibition as a collection spanning different creative periods, each acquiring a new relationship with its environment and audience in different spaces. "You try to perceive sculpture through certain dimensions of your body. The works here are from various periods. I hope these works speak to each other, converse with you, and with this space," Ališanka explained. The exhibition also featured literary readings by his brother, poet Eugenijus Ališanka.

The "Baltic Nights" workshop will feature five artists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia working in the historic Bugailiškiai garden. Their diverse artistic approaches, ranging from interdisciplinary art and performance to abstract and classical sculpture, will offer varied perspectives on the "Baltic Way" concept. The live creation phase of the workshop begins August 18, with visitors able to observe the artists daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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You try to perceive sculpture through certain dimensions of your body. The works here are from various periods. I hope these works speak to each other, converse with you, and with this space.