INTERNATIONAL MODERN ART FESTIVAL VIRUS
Time: annually in November (since 1996)
Place: Šiauliai Art Gallery, public spaces of the city, different cultural institutions of the city
International modern art festival VIRUS is the only, largest and the most professional festival in Northern Lithuania, combining all kinds of art and introducing the newest and most original art projects in the spheres of fine arts, fashion, dance, music, theatre, literature, media and cinema. It is a kind of laboratory of synthesis of various kinds of art and the only opportunity in Northern Lithuania to feel comprehensive spirit of modern art by participating and visiting different events of the festival. The festival VIRUS presents the projects not of fine arts only but art theory, modern dance, theatre, cinema, street art and vogue as well, in which one can get acquainted with up-and-coming possibilities of modern art, its forms and unexpected new synthesis of the kinds of art. During the festival, educational programmes are implemented, seminars, lectures, theoretical conferences are held.
International Festival of Contemporary Art
VIRUS XII
International Festival of Contemporary Art
VIRUS XI
International Festival of Contemporary Art
VIRUS X
November 10th - December 3rd , 2005
Šiauliai Art Gallery, Vilniaus st. 245,
Contact us at 521161 865052567
galerija@splius.lt
November 10th Thursday
VIRUS ART At 6pm British Council presents an exhibition of the fine arts what has been described as : THAN IS WHEN. Youll want to be there as well for the opening DJ of the festival, DJ Boo (Boogaloo).
VIRUS NOISE Join us at 7.30pm for an advanced performing of sound and poetry Virus Noisecreated by architect Tomas Grunskis and poet Julius Keleras.
VIRUS MUSIC At 8.30pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery the festival continues with a playing of Fussion-jazz-funk group dORANGE.
November 11th Friday
VIRUS MOVIES VDFF and NKKA are proud to present the festival program of Vilnius documentary: DOCU in Motion. Thats at 4pm at the cinema Laikas, Vilniaus st. 172.
VIRUS JAZZ Special encore presentation of Jazz group QUELQUES FIERS MONGOLS (France). MONGOLS will perform at the Šiauliai city cultural centre (Aušros av. 31) at 8pm with the presentation of Reactionin attendance.
VIRUS LONGUE Dont miss the chance to enjoy being at Give you a sun as a present event with DJs: Bil2kas and Sauza at the Cafe Teatro bufetas(Tilžės st. 155), at 10pm.
November 12th Saturday
VIRUS CINEMA At 3pm the Šiauliai Art Gallery invites you for an advance screening of extreme animation.
VIRUS POETRY Poetic performances starts at 4pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery with participants: Dainius Gintalas, Arūnas Spraunius, Rimvydas Pupelis, Petras Rakštikas, Ričardas Šileika, Eugenijus Raugas, Salomėja Jastrumskytė in attendance.
VIRUS ELECTRO Fyzo, Bil2kas, Sauza presents POP Simple/Original/Luxury. If you delight in experiencing about how virus electro is organized, youll come for Aivaras Vilkas, Neofuturistimus as well. Eventually the project PIT ends the show. The event takes place at the Šiauliai Art Gallery at 6pm.
VIRUS MIX Party, party, party at 9pm Club Metro(Aušros av. 31) the dancing-filled night has not to be missed. SONAR KOLLEKTIV & Kitoki presents: M I X I N G with ÂME VIRUS X SPECIAL DJs: Frank Wiedemann/ ÂME (Sonar Kollektiv, DE), Vidis (KITOKI, LT), VJ ArnasPal. Truly a night you wont remember.
November 17th Thursday
VIRUS DANCE Come and enjoy watching the modern dance program: not only the performance Purity(artistic director and choreograph Gytis Ivanauskas) but also the play Footmarks prepared by Vytis Jankauskas dancing troupe (coordinator of dancing program Vaiva Užaitė) at 7pm at the Šiauliai Drama Theater (Tilžės st. 155).
November 18th Friday
VIRUS CINEMA 3pm to 4pm last chance to watch extreme animation at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS TEXT&SOUND At 6pm Šiauliai Art Gallery announces the encore presentation of BERLYNALIJOS, the multimedia project by Rolandas Rastauskas with attending participants: Valdas Ozarinskas (design), RoRa (text; video), Aurelija Maknytė (video), Arkadijus Gotesmanas (percussion) and Goda Laurinavičiutė (dance).
VIRUS BOOKS The publishing outfit Baltos lankosinvites you in a special book fair at 4pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS DRUMNBASS Celebrate the biggest days of the festival with the Djs Nuits, Brazdzionis and Vj Silver. The party starts at 10pm at the Café Kaukas(Tilžės st. 144).
November 19th Saturday
VIRUS TEXT Catch the local book that has everyone talking! Rolandas Rastauskas book Kitas pasaulisis presented at 2pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS BOOKS Visit the publishing outfit Baltos lankosbook fair at midday to 4pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS MEDIA Dont forget to take part in the events of multimedia laboratory. Enjoy watching Media Art of Vilnius Art Academy students (coordinator: prof. Alvydas Lukys), Audiovisual Art Creations of Offenbach (Germany) art and design academy students (coordinator: Valdas Volbekas), Audiovisual Art of Šiauliai University Students (coordinator: Virginijus Malčius) at 6pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS MUSIC The Virus Music Night Party is co-hosted with the jazzy, chill-out duo: eXitLabEL (UK/Vilnius) at 8pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS LOUNGE At10pm at the Café Teatro bufetas, Tilžės st. 155.
November 20th Sunday
VIRUS DANCE Welcome to the program of modern dance with Andrius Katinas and Maria Saivosalmi (Helsinki) at 7pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
November 26th Saturday
VIRUS CINEMA Spencer Tunick presents Nude Art, 2003 at 4pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS ACTION At 6pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery come and watch DARK THEATRE with Barrington De La Roche & Inesa Vaiciute (London).
November 29th Tuesday
VIRUS PHILOSOPHY Attend a Postmodern Philosophical Anthropology Conference: Provocations, References, Problems at midday at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
November 30th Wednesday
VIRUS TALE Participate in a conference: Post/modern Tale: Mutations of Vision. The Notional reports, visual interpretations and the program of Lithuanian artistic animation (coordinator: Sonata Žalneravičiūtė) will be presented at midday, at the cinema Laikas(Vilniaus st. 172).
December 2nd Friday
VIRUS DANCE Best chance to entertain yourselves with the program of modern dance group MASIVby Aira Naginevičiūtė at 7pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
VIRUS LOUNGE At 9pm at the Café Teatro bufetas(Tilžės st. 155).
December 3rd Saturday
VIRUS CINEMA At 5pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery the festival ends with the screening of fanciful fragments movies.
VIRUS FASHION The 10th Annual Contemporary Fashion Festival (coordinator: Agnė Biskytė) overcrows at 7pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery (Vilniaus st. 245).
VIRUS PARTY This is our last hurrah after our closing fashion festival. Last party of International Festival of Contemporary Art VIRUS X with KITOKI/DJ and Guests, Vjs ArnasPal, Kino at 11pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery, Vilniaus st. 245.
Organisers: Šiauliai Art Gallery, Public Organization Menininkų klubas, Šiauliai University.
Our sponsors: Board of Culture, Local Government, Stock Company Šiaulių Energija, daily paper Šiaulių kraštas, TV Splius, Musical Merchandise Shop YAMAHA, Šiauliai Drama Theatre.
Positive Virus Power
10th International Festival of Contemporary Art VIRUS X, November 10th-December3rd, 2005 is presented in Šiauliai. The festival that has already existed for ten years in Šiauliai is unique by its variety, spontaneity, democratic atmosphere and new artistic ideas. It propagates the tone of contemporary art, presents the most interesting tendencies of fine arts, fashion, dance, music and is a peculiar synthesis laboratory of various art styles. The 10th anniversary festival is opened with the presentation of the fine arts exhibition Modern British Graphics supported by the British Council on Friday, November 11th, at 5pm at the Šiauliai Art Gallery. That is a unique opportunity to take a look at the creations of world-famous initiators of Brit-pop: R.Hamilton, D.Hockney, E.Paolozzi, R.Smith, P.Blake, R.B.Kitaj. The exhibition will be presented by the representatives of British Embassy and British Council.
A significant focus of the festival is new-formed and apprehended abilities of poetry. Actually, several artistic projects will be dedicated to the original development of sound, poetical text and view intervention. That is a laboratory of poetry, noise and views by a well-known poet Julius Keleris and architect Tomas Grunskis on Friday evening, at the Theater Café and on Saturday, at the Šiauliai Art Gallery, where the proceeding afternoon of poetical performances, in which famous Lithuanian poets and writers will render their texts for the spree of spectacles, movements and music. Though, the main event of the festival will be presented on the 18th of November, at the Šiauliai Art Gallery. That is a multi-media project Berlynalijos of a famous essayist, poet Rolandas Rastauskas, where the completeness of text, music, sounds, video, contemporary possibilities of dance will create a solid scenery of mythological Berlin. Rolandas Rastauskas steps hardily in unexplored opportunities of poetry and text interpretations; these are jazzing and dancing texts that are prepared by the unique thrilling color and video signals of the poet.
The musical part of Virus has always been distinguished for its plucky premieres. Exactly, original music groups such as InCulto and FusedMarc that have been organized then, thanks to the festival, are well-known now. This year the experimental and progressive musical program is plenteous as never before. On the 12th of November everybody will be able to soak oneself in a swirl of Vilnius, Klaipėda, Kaunas, Šiauliai electronic music sounds. Minimum of noise, chill-out sounds will pet and tease the audition, reminding that we are living in the high-tech century, thus the conception of sound, composer and musical creation fluctuates. A new musical duo Exitlabel from UK will present the audience their sophisticated mixings on the 19th of November at the Šiauliai Art Gallery. The jazz-fussion group dORANGE from Vilnius will perform on the 26th of November and that is a right music that accords with a tone of Virus.
On the opening day, the representative concert of French jazz group MONGOLS will be organized at the Šiauliai Cultural Centre, which is absolutely impossible without a supporting person of Šiauliai musical life, Remigijus Ruokis.
The festival Virus is not imagined without a contemporary dance program as well. During the events the most interesting representatives of this especially nice art in Lithuania have been invited for several years.
Incidentally, the festival Virus is the only one possibility to acquaint with a professional and modern scene of dance for local people. During the 10th anniversary of the festival Virus there will be a possibility to get acquainted with the most amusing choreographs, dancers, troupes at the contemporary dance program. The dance program of this year will include a number of performances. There will be a possibility to watch a newly established dance performance Praba created by a talented actor and director Gytis Ivanauskas.
The same evening we will set eyes on the performance Pėdsakaioriginated by the newest Lithuanian initiator of modern dance, one of the most professional Lithuanian dancers Vytis Jankauskas. Modern dance couple Andrius Katinas and Maria Saivosalmi presents a fresh presentation from Helsinki. The most cunning students of dance troupe Masiv from the course of Aira Naginevičiūtė, Vilnius Music Academy, will invite to the spectacle of own movement, feelings and carnal triumph on the 2nd of December, at the Šiauliai Art Gallery.
The art of performances will be represented by the scandalous local people Paulius Arlauskas, Gediminas Beržinis, Mindaugas Lukošaitis, Lina Kalnietytė, Evaldas Jansas (Vilnius), the representative of Dark Theater Barrington De La Roche (London), Panmongkol (Thailand) in the festival.
During the last year Virus became famous for its uncommon theoretical conferences, certainly, they would be inconceivable without a professor of philosophy -Gintautas Mažeikis. This year, there are planned at least two conferences, which are perceived in a postmodern way that are dedicated to interpret tales, where the new dimensions of tales will be strived to define in our reality. The other conference of philosophical anthropology, which is unlikely, would be possible without the last philosophical anthropology book of Gintautas Mažeikis, where the aims of philosophy and its location in our daily and academic life are newly presented. Interestingly, the conferences are complemented by the multimedia: the reports are presented using the computer graphics, video, movies and artistic actions.
Virus is not imagined without the existing club culture as well. Djs and Vjs from Lithuania and other foreign countries, who represent different styles of music, will play at the Šiauliai Art Gallery, club Metro and café Kaukas. This year program of Djs is organized by well-known Lithuanian dance music promoters, a duo of DJs Kitoki (DJ Vidis ir M Key). The culmination and the closure of the festival will become the program of these DJs on the 3rd of December, at the Šiauliai Art Gallery. The visualizations of dance events are created by Vjs ArnasPal and Kino. Furthermore, original, artistic and onetime video projections are exceptional features of Virus dance events. The pupil of the most famous Austrian actionist Herman Nietch, artist -Barrington De La Roche (London) prepares a provocative artistic action
It is expected to watch the artistic actions of a provocative artist and the initiator of the festival- Paulius Arlauskas, as ever, it will be a surprise for everyone. Thus, one of the most significant events of Virus festival will be the Contemporary Fashion Show on the 3rd of December at the Šiauliai Art Gallery. The most famous designers, design students of Vilnius Art Academy, artists from Šiauliai city will participate in the event. The main feature of this show is the conception of costume as an artistic creation, therefore the carnival experimentations, artistic forms, conceptual details and theatricality dominate in these trends. Ten years ago, Virus festival (the first period of four years it was named as Zuwys) started as an effort to make Šiauliai city culture more modern, to endow it with more freedom to create, variety and jocosity. However, that is a significant educational event, full of lectures, reviews and discussions, but it is also important for its cognitive sense, after all, everyone is able to get acquainted with a variety of artistic trends and tendencies only in such festival.
Virginijus Kinčinaitis,
The organizer of the festival Virus X
