News

American artist Barbara Grygutis invites for a dialogue: A new large-scale artwork WNDOW presented in the Open-Air Museum Europos Parkas.

Unnamed connections between nature and the humanity

In her artistic work, Barbara Grygutis forms spectacular open outdoor spaces that reveal the silent connections between nature and the humanity, seeking to level up human interaction at the same time. The artist's artworks actively engage the audience, identifying topics crucial for them. In her work, you can find architectural elements, recognizable objects, and forms of nature. B. Grygutis' artworks are large-scale, spatial, often illuminated compositions, which create an impression of easy harmony with the environment that comes from emotion.

B. Grygutis was born in Connecticut, the USA. She studied classical sculpture, travelled historical sites, visited major European museums. In her life, B. Grygutis attached equal importance to interaction with nature, desert landscapes, its distinctive patterns and colours. It was because of the dry climate and the translucent desert light that she later moved to Tucson. Before her master's studies, the artist spent half a year travelling in Japan, where she met sculptor Shoji Hamada, got to know his work and philosophy.

B. Grygutis has been exploring various techniques and materials since the beginning of her career. At first, she received recognition as a ceramics artist, later she got involved in public space projects and large-scale works.

Since 1970, B. Grygutis has created over 70 large-scale public space artworks across the North American continent – in stations, highways and pedestrian bridges, gates, squares, spaces in libraries and other buildings, sculpture parks. She received international acclaim, with her exhibitions in the most famous museums in Washington, New York, also at the Venice Art Biennale and so on. In 2016, a book dedicated to the artist's work was published.

Dialogue in the language of art

In Europos Parkas, B. Grygutis' work WINDOW from the DIALOGUES series has been realised. This artwork emphasizes the vital, essential need for meaningful communication in our lives. It is a bright 3-metre aluminium piece that gives an impression of lightness, which, despite its size and material, is recognizable as to its form. The artwork will invite everyone to pause, admire the play of light and shadows. Special attention is given to the spatial, three-dimensional effect of the sculpture. B. Grygutis' works are exceptional due to their transparency and interaction with the environment. The author of the sculpture sought that each viewer would have a certain experience of the Dialogue, this experience enabling them to eliminate some of their personal significance by feeling the need to talk to others.

According to the author, the ability to speak to one another, despite various contexts and differences, is crucial for human existence. The WINDOW kind of penetrates everyone and helps discover what we have in common. B. Grygutis believes that art brings people closer and contributes to the creation of meaningful experiences.

Modern and contemporary art ensemble

Europos Parkas is an institution in the district of Vilnius that has been performing museum and cultural activities for over three decades, recognised both domestically and internationally. An integral 55 ha ensemble of contemporary and modern landscape is a cultural heritage of the present. The environment of Europos Parkas allows harmonious revelation of B. Grygutis' artwork WINDOW.

The project Dialogue: Barbara Grygutis in Europos Parkas, implemented in the open-air museum, has allowed to contribute to the greater accessibility of high-quality contemporary art and culture for residents of the district of Vilnius and of the entire country. Europos Parkas invites you to visit or participate in educational activities all year round. The project has been partly sponsored by the Vilnius District Municipality Administration.

Barbara Grygutis works will be presented to the public in more detail in a meeting with the artist, which will take place at 11 a.m. on 19 July 2025 at Europos Parkas.