Infinite Love Letters and the Connections Between Artists and Institutions at a special Rupert event

On Thursday, July 31 at 6 PM, “The Administrator and the Enthusiast”, an event organized by Rupert, will take place at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art. The event will feature international mentors from Rupert’s Alternative Education Program (AEP) and will be the only AEP event open to the public before the final festival in November.

“This year’s AEP program fundamentally rethinks the structures of artistic life and practice, the artist’s relationship with institutions, and artistic practice as a form of labor,” says curator Goda Palekaitė. Coming to Vilnius for the first time, artists Vijai Maia Patchineelam and Kris Dittel embody the event’s theme, “The Administrator and the Enthusiast.” The evening’s program includes a performative lecture, video screenings, a listening session, and a discussion, inviting the audience to reconsider the role of the artist—and by extension, any creator or worker—within institutions, and the balancing of different roles and expectations.

The Only Public AEP Event This Summer

Rupert organizes one open lecture-workshop per year as part of the AEP. This year, the event will take place in the Grand Hall of the Radvila Palace Museum of Art, welcoming two of the 2025 program’s mentors, Vijai Maia Patchineelam and Kris Dittel/This year’s edition of the AEP is titled “The Secretary, the Shaman, the Scholar, the Lobbyist, the Publicist, and the Virtuoso”

Vijai Maia Patchineelam (Brazil, India) is a Berlin-based artist, researcher, and educator. His practice centers on the dialogue between artists and art institutions. Through a research-driven approach, he explores the role of the artist as a worker, advocating for more stable positions for artists within institutions and experimenting with new models of engagement.

Kris Dittel, a curator and writer from Slovakia, currently resides in Rotterdam. She recently published the book Unruly Kinships, which examines alternative interpersonal relationships and contemporary worldviews. At the event, Dittel will present research on the interweaving of our personal, professional, and imagined identities. She will also read an excerpt from her ongoing writing project, Infinite Love Letter, which merges the format of a letter with personal experiences and theoretical insights.

A Platform for Emerging Artists

The AEP is an annual, six-month-long series of creative workshops, lectures, and research trips that brings together a distinct group of artists and creators from Lithuania and around the world. At the same time, Rupert offers the wider public opportunities to engage with the AEP’s invited mentors.

The event will be held in English.
Curators: Goda Palekaitė and JL Murtaugh

The lecture and workshop program is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Vilnius City Municipality. Other Rupert programs are also supported by the Lithuanian Culture Institute, the European Union, the Media Support Fund, Nordic Culture Point, the Goethe-Institut Vilnius, and Tech Zity.