Hi again,

As snowstorms still frequent Vilnius followed by more than welcome brief bursts of sunlight, I glance over uneasily to what’s happening elsewhere. Not to get raving about the hyper-unstable state of international politics and how a couple of decisions made in these past couple of years will change the global power balance for years to come and that we haven’t yet come to terms with the fact that it is already shifting…arghhh… Lets stop for here. Terry Smith‘s characterisation of contemporary art as doubt filled gestures, equivocal objects, bemusing paradoxes, tentative projections, diffident proposals or wishful anticipations actually stuck with me as something that one can really get on a gut level.

This cardinal remodelling of the contemporary art world that I spoke of could be understood as separation of (a) the fact that ‘I don’t know the French election results yet (in that sense contemporaneity is indeterminate) and don’t really know what is going to happen to us all next’ from (b) a particular artistic gesture regarding the now which doesn’t have to be doubtful or paradoxical itself as well as the present. Basically, it’s about renegotiating our relation between the totality of indeterminate present and our individual acts of navigating that present. Even if the totality of presence always’ll remain intangible, that doesn’t mean that we should feel that doubtful when stating our agendas on particular aspects of that now or a desirable future.
And so, I am very eager to announce that for the 5th edition of Rupert Alternative Education Program to do just that (and-or something diverging from initial intentions) we’ve selected Beatričė Mockevičiūtė, Gintautė Skvernytė, Andrej Polukord, Žygimantas Kudirka, Kristina Marija Kulinič, Kęstutis Montvidas, Gediminas Žygus, Eglė Razumaitė and Nina Kuttler. This year’s edition curated by Adomas Narkevičius will host a variety of local and international tutors with aim to develop individual proposals by the participants and solidify them into a final event in November showcasing what they’ve been up to.

An announcement on Rupert residencies for Autumn and Winter 2017 is soon to follow this week so don’t forget to follow us though Instagram and Facebook. If you’re based in Lithuania, you’re more than welcome to support Rupert programs. And hopefully, no more snowstorms on our Instagram feed for the next few months..
See ya soon,
Rupert

IN RESIDENCE

Marco Strappato

Marco Strappato (IT/UK), lives and works in London. His work is engaged with the pressing and urgent reassessment of a contemporary understanding of image production and image distribution, through a multidisciplinary practice. His current works are looking at Landscape and technology, the screen and the infinite space in which technology purports to offer, this seems to naturally lead to questions of the technological sublime.

During his residency at Rupert he will develop a new series of works, inspired by a fictional place called ‘San Junipero’, a seaside town depicted in one of the episode of ‘Black Mirror’. This location is a virtual realm in which the dying can holiday and the dead can inhabit. He is supported by MOVIN’UP – mobility of young Italian artists in the world.

IN RESIDENCE

Borbála Soós

Borbála Soós (HU/UK) is a London-based curator. For the past 4 years she has been the director and curator of Tenderpixel, an independent contemporary art gallery in central London. Borbála is Visiting Lecturer at the MA Fine Art course of the Royal College of Art, London, and also works as an independent curator. In April 2017 she is undertaking a curatorial residency at Rupert, Vilnius, working towards a large group exhibition as part of the OFF-Biennale, Budapest in October 2017. Her research at Rupert will focus on the organisational systems of slime mould, fungi species, plants and deep sea creatures in relation to social structures.