VILNIUS BIENNIAL OF PERFORMANCE ART

OPEN CALL FOR THE SECOND VILNIUS BIENNIAL OF PERFORMANCE ART

Following the success of the inaugural Vilnius Biennial of Performance Art in 2023, the Biennial organisers are pleased to announce an open call for artists wishing to participate in the second edition. The only performance art festival in the Lithuanian capital will take place in public and semi-public spaces in Vilnius between May and June 2025.

As with the previous edition, the VB25 programme will consist of two parts: one curated by the Biennial’s Artistic Director Neringa Bumblienė, and another dedicated to the presentation of works selected by an international jury from submissions received during the open call.

VB25 THEME

The theme of the upcoming Biennial is ‘Ruins’. As Bumblienė elaborates: ‘This time, I’m contemplating ruins – a state we’ve all been immersed in for some time now. We are beyond the initial shock waves; what we see now is what remains after the blasts and dust clouds have settled. A chill permeates every crevice, slowly engulfing the city and us, until nothing is left but the vast and all-encompassing horizon of its impact. The ruins, overt and still, invite us to dive deep much like large animals in the vast ocean. Within them also lies a promise. I think it is important to consciously stay there, to seek out and learn from what we find, and to change before moving forward.’

OPEN CALL

– The competition programme of the second Vilnius Biennial of Performance Art is open to all artists, with no restrictions on age, country, or other criteria.
– Both new and existing performances that align with the theme of the Biennial, ‘Ruins,’ are welcome.
– You can download the Open Call application form here.
– The completed application form should be sent no later than 15 September to info@vilniusb.com, with “Competition Programme. Full name” in the subject field.
– Each applicant may submit a maximum of 3 performance proposals.
– Together with the Open Call application, also send us:

Description of the proposed artwork/idea (no more than 1 page of A4).
Requirements for the performance project (technical requirements, budget, etc.).
Preferred location in Vilnius city (exact or requirements for the space).
Photographs (up to 5 photographs in JPG format and up to 2MB in resolution) an/or video material (where applicable) of the artwork by the applicant. If the artwork is not created yet, please provide some sketches, model or other visual material.
Your CV and porttolio.

The festival team will offer curatorial and production support for creating and presenting works. In collaboration with each selected artist or collective of artists, the team will identify the necessary human and financial resources to realise these works. A total of five works will be selected for presentation in the Biennial 2025 programme.

THE JURY:

Submissions for the Biennial programme will be evaluated by an international jury consisting of:

Charles Aubin, Co-Director of the Centre Pompidou x Jersey City (US), previously Senior Curator of Performa Biennial in New York.
João Laia, Artistic Director of the Department of Contemporary Art in Porto, formerly Chief Curator of Exhibitions at the Finnish National Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki.
Neringa Bumblienė, Artistic Director of the Vilnius Biennial and Curator of the Lithuanian National Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale and the Centre for Contemporary Art in Vilnius.

The deadline for applications is 15 September 2024.
The Biennial will take place in May and June 2025.
Previous VB23 edition participants list.