"2009. Vilnius by Day", 2009
illustrated postcards
"2009. Vilnius by Night", 2009
illustrated postcards
(from the project “Survival”)
The pencil inscription on the wall "I know how to walk across the city and see nothing" is a quote from the testimony of Nijolė Oželytė in "Survival" (video, 2009) commenting on withdrawal into oneself. This sad comment is referring to the problematic alienation of people within society and the absence of feedback, which results in loneliness. This thought and emotional attitude is supported by the postcards: "2009. Vilnius by Day" and "2009. Vilnius by Night" (both works, 2009). The former describes a white landscape and the latter a black one. The postcards contain no images (as if the artist has "seen nothing"). Every collective image of a city is shaped by popular opinion and circumstances; and despite 2009 being a festival year, and the city being a European Capital of Culture, the people of Vilnius have a more negative view of their hometown than ever, which has increased their seeming alienation.
Photographs by Artūras Valiauga (2010)