The 2026 edition is curated by DRIFTS gallery and its founder, art historian Jolanta Chockevičiūtė Laurent. More than 30 galleries and project spaces participate in the main programme, ranging from established spaces including Vartai, Meno Niša, Pamėnkalnis Gallery and (AV17) to younger initiatives such as DRIFTS, ASABA, BALA and care of…. Alongside exhibitions, the four-day programme includes artist and curator tours, workshops, discussions and specially designed art routes. Events and exhibitions in the main VGW programme are free to attend.
One of this year’s central questions is what a gallery does within a relatively young and small art market. A gallery can operate not only as an exhibition and sales space but also as an artist’s representative, production partner, international connector and a space where new collecting audiences are developed. The organisers frame the gallery as a meeting point between artistic vision, the market, people, local contexts and international networks.
These questions will be addressed directly in two discussions at DRIFTS on Saturday, 12 September. The first examines the development and current landscape of gallery culture in Lithuania. The second focuses on the contemporary profession of the gallerist and brings together Berta Zubrickaitė, director of London gallery Edel Assanti; Agnieszka Fąferek, founder of Milan-based eastcontemporary; Olga Temnikova, co-founder of Tallinn’s Temnikova & Kasela; and curator Justė Kostikovaitė. The discussion will consider the networks gallerists build and their influence on both artistic discourse and the market.
Special guided routes will run from 11–13 September, led by art market consultant Emilija Šneiderytė and Vilnius Art Walk art historians Gediminas Jasinskas and Monika Eidėjūtė. The opening day concludes with a public Vilnius Gallery Weekend opening event at the SODAS 2123 cultural complex on 10 September.
Museums and other institutional art spaces are presented separately through the VGW+ programme. Participants include the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Centre, five branches of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Vilnius City Museum venues, MO Museum and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. Admission conditions vary between institutions, with free events, discounted admission and regular museum tickets depending on the venue.
Vilnius Gallery Weekend 2026
10–13 September 2026
Vilnius, Lithuania
Full programme: Vilnius Gallery Weekend.
