Exhibition "Archivum archaios" at the VU Ideas Observatory

On July 24 at 6 p.m., the second exhibition of the "Archivum archaios" project, a collaboration between Vilnius University (VU) and the Vilnius Academy of Arts, will open at the VU Ideas Observatory.

Dedicated to the 245th anniversary of life sciences at VU and the 10th anniversary of the VU Life Sciences Center, the exhibition invites a fresh look at historical natural collections preserved in the Geology and Zoology Museums and the Herbarium, alongside contemporary artistic interpretations of them.

The exhibition title combines the Latin word "archivum" and the Greek "archaios". It speaks not only of the archive as a place of storage but also of the fact that archives are not neutral – they reflect decisions on what is worth preserving, how to classify it, and what stories to tell. At the same time, the title points to what was at the beginning – even before names, categories, and human-created systems. While exploring the old VU collections, the artists focused not only on the exhibits and their stories but also on the spaces of the archives, their structures, light, fragility, and the traces left by time.

After the first exhibition at the VU Botanical Garden in Kairėnai, the exhibition moves to the city center. "We view the VU Ideas Observatory as the primary space for the artworks, many of which were created specifically with the rotating domes, the opening to the night sky, and the space for sound and slower thought in mind," says exhibition curator Rūta Spelskytė.

Participating artists: Elena A. V. Reckewitz, Dagnė Petkevičiūtė, Viktorija Balkutė, Vilius Vingras, Rūta Spelskytė, Fausta Lukošiūtė, Aidas Stončius, Kornelijus Zaleckas, Adomas Mažeika, Anna Chostegian, Austėja Zabulytė, Rima Briškaitė, Gintas Kavoliūnas, Paulė Vaitkutė, Kotryna Navickaitė, Raminta Beržanskytė.

Exhibition curators: Rūta Spelskytė, Mindaugas Rasimavičius

Publication design: Alvė Skauronaitė

Dissemination design: Vilius Vingras

The exhibition is organized in cooperation with the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center and the Vilnius Academy of Arts.