The "Audra" festival has repeatedly demonstrated that the identity of a modern city is shaped by culture. Each year, the festival transforms Kaunas into the epicenter of electronic music, placing special emphasis on its art program. This year, joining forces with the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, “Audra” returns with a bold ambition: to rewrite the city’s cultural map. Visitors can expect renowned international creators, technically complex installations, and a culinary experience crafted for true taste seekers and gourmets.
“Audra” wouldn’t be “Audra” if it catered to its audience. As every year, the festival invites people to engage, expand the boundaries of contemporary art perception, and enjoy high-quality content. The ambitious program, curated by six curators, will spread across various city spaces, including the Kaunas Picture Gallery, the Central Bank of Kaunas, Šilainiai, and more.
M. K. Čiurlionis Meets Contemporary Electronic Culture
Commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis, the “Audra” festival is collaborating this year with the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum. On September 18th, a contemporary art exhibition inspired by the visions of Čiurlionis—rightfully hailed as a Lithuanian genius—will open at the Kaunas Picture Gallery.
This major exhibition, marking a peak in the anniversary celebrations, will unite more than 28 artists from Lithuania and abroad. Among them are Aziza Kadyri, Julijonas Urbonas, 00 Zhang, Andrea Mikyska, VVXXII, Fitnesss, and others presenting interdisciplinary works that explore themes close to Čiurlionis’ heart—cosmology, technology, and mythology. Curated by Tautvydas Urbelis and Hyperlink Athens, the exhibition will feature installations, video art, painting, contemporary electronic culture, and immersive light and sound experiences.
One of the most ambitious projects ever held at the Kaunas Picture Gallery, the exhibition will also reveal never-before-seen areas of the gallery. It will showcase innovative environmental architecture by the “Išora x Lozuraitytė” studio, where light is used as a multi-layered tool to shape spaces for art. The building itself will become a hyperbolized light-and-shadow machine. The artworks will dissolve spatial hierarchies, spilling across galleries, corridors, and technical backstage zones, transforming the space into a labyrinthine post-urban landscape.
“This is an exhibition of atmospheric sensations, where Čiurlionis will be experienced through emotion. In a synthesis of light, darkness, sound, and color, the artists will explore universal, human themes closely tied to Čiurlionis’ creativity. His tragedy was his genius—so ahead of his time that his innovativeness even frightened those around him. Čiurlionis was a curious, forward-thinking artist whose interests ranged from art and science to psychology and cosmology,” says Daina Kamarauskienė, Director of the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum.
World-Class Performances at the Kaunas Central Bank
The performance program centers on the latest works by Billy Bultheel and Eve Stainton, presented in some of Kaunas’ most exceptional venues.
Two performances will take place in the historic building of the Bank of Lithuania. According to organizers, the building's architectural grandeur, acoustics, spacious interior, and historical significance make it an ideal setting for contemporary art.
One of today’s most sought-after composers, Billy Bultheel, will present his latest piece, A Short History of Decay, in the Kaunas Central Bank. Having captivated audiences in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Basel, and London, Bultheel is a regular at prestigious art events. Among his accolades is the Golden Lion from the Venice Biennale, which he received as part of Anne Imhof’s team.
Inspired by ancient acoustic phenomena found in Greek amphitheaters and medieval churches, Bultheel has, together with set designers Andrea Belosi and Finley Stewart, created unique resonant sculptures functioning both as instruments and architectural elements. This impressive debut will unveil his new composition in an extraordinary setting.
Equally anticipated is the performance Impact Driver by London-based artist Eve Stainton. Commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London—one of the world’s leading contemporary art institutions—this is a spectacular multidisciplinary performance that merges industrial gestures, choreography, and live music. The score is composed by acclaimed contemporary musicians Leisha Thomas and Mica Levi. Stainton masterfully fuses movement, materials, and sound, blurring the boundaries between disciplines and creating a bold, powerful artistic expression.
The performance program will also feature Brazilian artist AUN, experimental Japanese performer Runurunu, Athens-based MIRA新伝統, the interspecies collective Lithic Alliance, and South Korean artist Hyeji Nam, who recently completed a residency at Sodas2123.
“The impressive growth of the art program in recent years allows us to offer an extraordinary experience in Kaunas—from world-class artists to a chef-curated food program and performances in the city’s financial heart. ‘Audra’s’ art program draws the contours of the interdisciplinary culture of the future,” says art program director Tautvydas Urbelis.
For Gourmets and Beyond – A Cultural Food Program
This year introduces a new feature at the “Audra” festival: a cultural food program. Each year, the art program explores a new context, and this time it’s food—encompassing a wide range of interconnected themes: urban gardening, fermentation, food policy, supply chains, ecological responsibility, and sustainability.
This context will be most vividly expressed through the Edible City project, developed in collaboration with “Kultūros dirbtuvė” and “Šilainiai Gardens.” Over six months, the project aims to create a network of curious, engaged individuals around the theme of an edible city—laying the foundation for a long-term urban community in Kaunas.
An experimental kitchen—The Citizen’s Sandwich—will grow out of the Edible Cityinitiative. Curated by fermentation expert and artist Sean Roy Parker and chef-researcher Jonas Palekas, it will start in the Šilainiai gardens and later move to other city locations. There, during the music program, raves will take place, and the main exhibition will feature a dinner and installation.
