Gerbkime kapines | Talka / Exhibit

Paroda

Andrius Kulikauskas will be showing an exhibit, Lietuvos Jeruzalės Nekropolis (The Necropolis of the Jerusalem of Lithuania), from Thursday, September 17 to Wednesday, September 23 at the Seimas (parliament) Vitražo galerija (Stained Glass Gallery). Seimas member Emanuelis Zingeris is the curator. Emanuelis approves Andrius's plan for an exhibit that is impressive and daring.

Andrius: The exhibit will present my vision as an artist, historian, thinker and organizer familiar with both Litvak and Lithuanian perspectives. Art brings people together, and holds them together, and changes the rules, and allows for creativity and novelty. As the artist, I am the decision maker, within the bounds that Emanuelis sets as curator. He very much wants me to run with this opportunity, which I will devote eight weeks to. We agree that my vision involves dismantling the Soviet palace.

As an artist, I am not representing or seeking any consensus. Instead, my plan is to include dozens and perhaps hundreds of people to make the most of this exhibit but also pursue additional efforts to honor the Necropolis. Certainly, I want to consult with rabbis, scholars, experts and locals to be respectful. My responsibility is to decide as I will with the help and advice I can get.

I plan to include contests for young and old to portray the heritage of the Grand Duchy's Litvaks, including 100 and 1,000 Litvaks notable around the world, intended for my model of the outer wall of the Necropolis. I also plan to have a contest to encourage artists to sketch how they would the traditional ohel with a contemporary spirit. And I plan to have 4 artists build life-size versions of ohels, including at least one traditional ohel but also modern alternatives. I envisage, on the foundations of the Soviet palace, after it is covered with earth and sod, a sculpture park that in many places replicates the historic scene, but in other places allows for respectful, artistic, contemporary and futuristic versions of the ohel, demonstrating its profound form.

I am asking Emanuelis to reach out to all of the Lithuanian Jewish institutions in various ways. For example, I suggested that he interview me about the upcoming exhibit and have the Lithuanian Jewish Community publish the interview at their website. At his request, they can publish weekly reports as we visit other institutions. He and I and others can hold a meeting with the Jewish Museum leadership and ask for their help with photographs, maps and history, but also for a professional designer. He can approach the Vilnius Jewish High school so that the students participate in the contests for portraying Litvak heritage. We will also reach out to as many Lithuanian institutions and personalities as we can. By the time we show the exhibit, the hope is that they agree to be listed as "supporters" of the exhibit.

I will be also organizing every possible activity to yield results coinciding with the exhibit. These include:

Connecting with the Vilnius City municipality so that the Necropolis is granted the status of a cemetery. And also to learn their preferences for the site and how we could work together.
Given the Genocide Center's second refusal to certify that the Soviets commited a crime by seizing the Cemetery, asking for such certification or other action from the Seimas Ombudsman, the Seimas Commission for the Rights and Affairs of Participants of Resistance to Occupation Regimes and Victims of Occupation, the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania, and likewise from the President, Prime Minister, and Seimas Chairman.
Asking the Minister of Culture, and the Registry of Cultural Heritage, to give the Cemetery the highest status.
Asking Mariott International to reign in the developer Arvydas Avulis (builder of the Marriott hotel) and respect the Necropolis.
Many other such actions. The consequences can be presented in the exhibit as appropriate.

I will be working intensely for 8 weeks. There will be additional expenses. Thus I ask for help, especially from the Litvak diaspora, but also will ask Emanuelis, to raise a budget of $20,000, of which:

$8,000 to compensate me.
$2,000 for art expenses.
$3,000 for an assistant, preferably a Vilnius Jew.
$4,000 = 4 x $1,000 for artists creating 1 lifesize ohel each (they could be painted cardboard).
$3,000 for prizes for contests, ranging from 400 euros to 100 euros.

We could raise more or less but it's very important to raise something.

As an untrained artist, I have done 7 similar one-man shows where I transform an entire room. My academic talk Purpose of Art. Rules for Art. includes my artwork.

The gallery is roughly 20 m x 25 m. I will use the whole space. If you study my plans, then I have taken great care that the show be simple and doable. I actually have time to do it all myself. But that would be pointless. I plan to get lots of help.

I am taking responsiblity for creating this exhibit. As an artist, I am doing it in my own name. I feel it would be good to do this, or frame this, in the name of Respect Cemeteries (Gerbkime kapines), especially as we've inspired about 40 people to write letters to Seimas and they would do it again. I spoke with Ruta and Artūras.

Artūras has done lots of work on the modest informational exhibit we had envisioned. I wanted to include and, if possible, pay him as an assistant. However, he will be out of town for several weeks. He is generally supportive although he thinks this is ambitious.
Rūta is the leader of Gerbkime kapines. She will decide whether or not to do this on behalf of the group. I spoke with her about how she would like to help. We agreed that I would work with her in making the poster about the remains so that it is to her liking. She can also work with me to write letters, for example, to the Genocide Center, so they would certify approximately hown many people were buried at the Cemetery and how many remains there are today.

I will also reach out to all those around the world who have been writing letters.

My personal hope is that our collective work on this exhibit will, by the time it is over, either strengthen Respect Cemeteries or lead to a new group that can take this forward. That can be a group for developing consensus. Whereas for this project I have Emanuelis's blessing and am not seeking consensus but simply including all as they would like to contribute.