Julija Reklaitė appointed as the new Director of Rupert

Following a successful five-year directorship term at Rupert, Justė Jonutytė has decided not to apply for the second term and instead to join Rupert’s Board, as well as pursue independent projects. After interviewing several candidates in a closed competition, Rupert’s Board unanimously decided to appoint Julija Reklaitė as the new director of Rupert for a five-year term. The chairman of the Board, Deividas Rafanavičius, says of Julija’s appointment: ‘We are happy to have Julija lead the organisation for the next five years. She has considerable experience in the contemporary art and cultural fields, both locally and internationally. Her expertise will certainly enrich the local scene while also developing international cooperation, networks and projects. We hope that Julija’s personal values and approach towards teamwork will inspire Rupert’s internal team and lead the organisation forward, engaging with new and exciting challenges and developments.’

Before joining Rupert, Julija Reklaitė was the cultural attaché of Lithuania in Italy (2015-2019). She has also worked on several projects that combined her expertise in architecture, cultural diplomacy, contemporary art, theatre and curating.  Since 2007, for example, Reklaitė worked as a freelance exhibition architect, collaborating with institutions and artists in Lithuania and internationally. She was the head of culture projects for the Architects Chamber of Lithuania, she initiated the Black Box platform at the State Youth Theater, Lithuania, an education programme for young creators working in theatre in transdisciplinary ways, and she was also a commissioner for the Lithuanian Pavilion at the Milan Triennial (2019), where she worked in collaboration with the Contemporary Art Centre of Vilnius to produce an installation by artist Emilija Škarnulytė. Reklaitė received her doctorate in architecture theory and history at the VGTU Faculty of Architecture. She is the author of several publications and articles, and has co-authored and edited three books. 

Julija Reklaitė says of her appointment: ‘This is an exciting challenge, and I see Rupert as an institution with enormous potential to combine different cultural disciplines, many of which resonate with my experience and expertise.  Rupert’s Alternative Education, residency and public programmes have contributed to transdisciplinary ways of thinking and working, and I am thrilled to be able to join the team in leading this internationally renowned institution in new directions.’ Reklaitė will start her position in autumn 2019.  

Photo by Vika Paškelytė