MO features Young Artists from the Baltic States Starting 18th November
The Young Painter Prize competition is pleased to present selected works by the young artists from the Baltic States as part of the show in MO Museum starting with 18th November.
The international jury selected 15 finalists who will now compete for the title of the YPP 2021 winner. The jury will announce the winner during the show’s opening night (18th November).
One of the key art events in the Baltic region, the Young Painter Prize will introduce the up-and-coming young talents. This year’s finalists will be showcased in MO Museum from 18 November 2021 to 30 January 2022. During the show’s opening night, MO Museum will hold a public discussion and the nomination ceremony.
A platform for the Young Players of the Art World
Even before the opening of MO Museum, its founders Mrs Danguolė and Mr Viktoras Butkus were generously supporting the YPP project and were among the first to acquire the works of the up-and-coming artists. According to the MO director Milda Ivanauskienė, it is therefore particularly exciting that the YPP finalists are now showcased in MO Museum.
“MO Museum is open to all kinds of views, audiences, and creators. The up-and-coming artists are particularly welcome here too. The show is a culmination of the years of consistent support the YPP competition has been receiving from the MO founders. We are also happy to introduce a special prize which MO founders and the entire team will announce during show’s opening night,” says Ivanauskienė.
“For me, the YPP award is a dream-come-true with a history of its own. One of the most important moments in this event is that artists, viewers, curators and art researchers will have an excellent opportunity to see the work of the up-and-coming artists from across the entire Baltic region. The fact that artists from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have been eagerly taking part in YPP tells us about its importance and gives us the impetus to move forward. Since the very first day of its existence, this is exactly what YPP has been aiming for – to become a platform for the up-and-coming players of the art world,” says the YYP co-founder Vilmantas Marcinkevičius.
“The active participation of Baltic artists in the competition is a very important evaluation and a motivation to continue the project. Having held the opening of the competition virtually last year, this year we are very happy to do it live at the MO Museum,” adds the organiser Julija Dailidėnaitė.
The opening night discussion about the New Generation of Painters
During the opening night on the 18th of November, MO Museum will hold a public discussion “The New Generation of Painters: Quo vadis?” which will be moderated by Lithuanian art theorist Laima Kreivytė. The YPP 2009 winner Andrius Zakarauskas, the YPP organizer Julija Dailidėnaitė, and the Deputy Director of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art Jolanta Marcišauskytė-Jurašienė will talk about the emerging young artists and their creative pathways.
The discussion will take place in Lithuanian.
The discussion will be followed with the key event of the evening – the YPP 2021 nomination ceremony.
This year’s YPP winner will receive several prizes: two month residency at the Nordic Artists’ Centre Dale (Norway) with the 11,000 NOK monthly stipend, as well as the 3,000 EUR monetary award and the opportunity to hold a solo show at the Pamėnkalnis Gallery, Vilnius. The YPP winner’s artwork will be donated to the collection of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art.
Furthermore, a selected YPP participant will also be awarded a special prize of 1,000 EUR kindly offered by the MO Museum.
The YPP finalists and the jury
Justīne Seile-Urtāne (LV)
Late Hours, 2021
Oil on canvas, 120 × 180 cm
For thirteen years today, YPP competition has been one of the key art world events in the Baltic states. Since its very begining in 2009, the aim of the project has been not only to introduce the up-and-coming artists to the wider audiences, but also to help the collectors and curators discover new talent in the Baltic states. The competition is open to all art students and graduates up to 30 years old.
This year’s YPP finalists are: Arnolds Andersons (LV), Gytis Arošius (LT), Kazimieras Brazdžiūnas (LT), Aurelija Bulaukaitė (LT), Siiri Jüris (EE), Madara Kvēpa (LV), Lisette Lepik (EE), Edvinas Mikulskis (LT), Erika Povilonytė (LT), Indrė Rybakovaitė (LT), Justīnė Seile-Urtāne (LV), Greta Šležaitė (LT), Dominykas Sidorovas (LT), Denisa Štefanigova (EE), and Mantas Valentukonis (LT). Click HERE to see their works online.
Arnolds Andersons (LV)
Raindrop Prelude, 2021
Acrylic on linen, 160 × 160 cm
This year the YPP competition entries were assessed by the international jury:
Arild H. Eriksen (rt historian, Director of Residency Centre at the Nordic Artists’ Centre Dale), Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė (curator, MO Museum), Karin Laansoo (Director of the Estonian KAI Art Centre), Deimantas Narkevičius (filmmaker, video artist, sculptor), Zane Tuča (Latvian painter, the YPP 2013 winner), and Mėta Valiušaitytė (art historian).
The YPP organisers: Julija Dailidėnaitė and Vilmantas Marcinkevičius
Coordinators: Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė and Ieva Stasevičiūtė
Graphic designer: Akvilė Paukštytė
Exhibition architect: Dominykas Šavelis
