Opening Speech of the Exhibition "2Cent. : Goya 1808–2026"

Opening of Kęstutis Vasiliūnas’s solo exhibition “2Cent. : Goya 1808–2026” at the Gallery “Akademija”, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Since I am not able to speak as eloquently as John Paul III, I will read my speech from the sheet:

Part 2. 48:46

In 2017, I held my personal exhibition-installation “Memento Mori” at the “Titanikas” gallery. During the opening, I mentioned that this was my last personal exhibition in Lithuania…

In 2018, I held a personal exhibition in Seoul, Korea. In 2022, I held a personal exhibition at the Rockefeller Center for the Arts, Fredonia, USA “Kierkegaard: The Lily & the Bird”.

After returning from America, I talked about this with Vaidilute Brazauskaite-L., an art historian and curator at the “Akademija” gallery. And
24/10/2022, 15:21 I receive a message:
“Kęstuti, maybe show this new cycle of yours in 2023 at the “Akademija” gallery, not only for Americans 🙂. Think about it, I would like you to make an exhibition! 🙂”

24/10/2022, 18:45 I replied to Vaidilute:
“Hello, Vaidilute. Thank you. It’s nice that you remember me and support me. But I’m really not satisfied with those new works, I think they should be finished. One of them should even be reprinted, it’s not very good. And anyway, they’re “too” religious, not interesting to anyone, no sexuality and relevance. These are the moans of an old man suffering from depression. Who could be interested in that? No one. Except after death. Thank you.”

Vaidilutė tried to persuade me to do that exhibition, but I thought differently.

In the fall of 2025, the “Akademija” gallery held a personal exhibition of Prof. Timothy Freirichs. I went to take pictures of his wonderful works and met Vaidilutė. After talking about art as usual, she said something like this: “you could do your own exhibition here too”. And I replied that no, I won’t have an exhibition here, because if I did, it would be a big and “important” exhibition-installation in the huge space, like the one I had come up with, and not some small and insignificant one.
Vaidilutė says something like this: “There can’t be only ‘important’ exhibitions, there can be other exhibitions as well…” I didn’t answer anything, but I thought, no, no compromises with myself, as they say in “The Young Pope”. And I forgot about that matter, a little indignant. Vaidilutė offers me a compromise… no.

But on the night of November 1st, I sleep and dream of a voice that tells me “Humble yourself!” I wake up a little scared and start thinking about my exhibition at the “Akademija” gallery. When I install everything in my head, I fall asleep, and in the morning on November 1st, All Saints’ Day, I write a message to Vaidilute and ask for a meeting and discuss my possible exhibition:

01/11/2025, 11:24
“Hello, Vaidilute, how are you? You once invited me to hold an exhibition of my works at the Gallery “Akademija”… This night I somehow thought (I received an invitation) that I need to do something, express my view on the situation in the world not by writing angry comments, but by holding an exhibition. So if you haven’t changed your mind, I would do it this spring. You would be the curator, I would discuss with you what I want to show and how. If you change your mind, then I will make the exhibition in seven years. Time goes by quickly… Have a peaceful day. Kęstutis”

01/11/2025, 11:26 Vaidilutė: “Okay, Kęstutis. Let’s discuss. I’ll be at the gallery on Monday. Great!”

Then, of course, I got scared, I tried to refuse, but it was too late.

That’s how this exhibition came about. All that remains is to thank… God, family, grandchildren, curator Vaidilutė and gallery director Gediminas.

Text translated into English by Google Translate.