If you build it, they will come: Europos Parkas

Abstract

This article will examine the marriage of art and nature in the Europos Parkas Open-Air Museum on the outskirts of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, which has become one of the most successful demonstrations of the transformative potential of artistic experience within a natural landscape. The inception of the museum coincided with the dramatic political and social changes of the late 1980s and early 1990s that were to affect both creative practice and aesthetic experience. During this period, contemporary art in the region developed a more pluralistic perspective, which included the use of a multitude of styles in the post-modern sense, such as object-oriented art, installation, performance, and an increased use of technology in artistic practice, such as photography, video, digital media. In response to this changed artistic atmosphere, many art and cultural institutions began to adapt their program in an effort to engage more fully in the dialogue of Western art discourses. Yet few have successfully transgressed the barriers separating the wider audience from Danto’s art world and its specific language of interpretation, whilst maintaining the integrity of the works on display. This article seeks to explore how the phenomenon of Europos Parkas has constructed and mediated the contemporary at a unique historical moment.