Bells and cannons. Contemporary Art in the Face of Militarisation

Varpai ir patrankos. Šiuolaikinis menas militarizacijos akivaizdoje

The architecture is grounded in notions of dual use, suspended transformation, and constant reconfiguration. Drawing on the metaphor of “bells” and “cannons”—objects capable of becoming one another depending on circumstance—the space exists in an in-between state: between monumentality and temporariness, fragility and readiness. Architecture appears here not as a fixed form, but as a condition—alert, provisional, and continuously adapting.

Spatially, the exhibition unfolds through clusters of varying scale rather than a single continuous structure. Emerging from Trevor Paglen’s black box installation, plasterboard wall assemblages grew organically, responding to each new work added to the system. Physical and sensory distance between artworks is maintained, allowing the space to remain open, fragmented, and slightly unstable.

Fast, ready-made materials—drywall, standard profiles, construction elements—shape a raw, partially monumental architecture that privileges adaptability over refinement. Lighting, developed with Justas Bø, creates a tense, watchful atmosphere suspended between cold and warm, using stadium-like clusters, billboard references, and small technical fixtures. The project approaches exhibition architecture as a living mass: continuously negotiated, never fully resolved, until the space reaches a moment of resonance.



































Curators:
Virginija Januškevičiūtė and Valentinas Klimašauskas

Architect: 
Gabrielė Černiavskaja

Graphic design:
Vytautas Volbekas

Light designer:
Justas Bø

Head of technical team:
Vsevolod Kovalevskij, Lukas Strolia

Technical team:
Almantas Lukoševičius, Ilona Virzinkevič, Matas Šatūnas, 
Kazimieras Sližys, Teodoras Malinauskas, 
Matas Janušonis, Rokas Janušonis, Martynas Pekarskas