ArtVilnius’21, the biggest visual arts event in the Eastern region, took place on 15-17 October for the 12th time and brought together 56 galleries from 12 countries in three halls and outdoor areas. The art fair featured private international art collections, the exhibition of installations, sculptures and performances Takas, meetings with artists, discussions, lectures, selection of the best participants, and tours with art researchers.
“Last year’s virtual tour was a great success and had a large number of views, meaning it is really useful and relevant. Such art fair tours are nothing new, institutions and galleries have been inviting to virtual tours for a long time, thus facilitating the process of seeing and acquiring works – art can be purchased just by sitting in front of a computer screen,” says Diana Stomienė, head of ArtVilnius, emphasizing that, however, virtual tours will never replace a live encounter with art and are just an addition to promoting the event itself.
This year, the 3D tour was created by consistently scanning the entire space every few meters, and a total of about 1,100 points were scanned for the entire area of ArtVilnius’21. The scanning took more than 36 hours and had to be done at night when there were no visitors at the fair.
“Such a process requires not only physical endurance but also diligence. However, the opportunity to spend a few nights with selected visual art from all over Lithuania and abroad left an indelible impression. The contemporary art fair ArtVilnius is unique every year – from the galleries’ exhibition solutions and works presented to the fair’s changing architecture,” said Matas Drukteinis, the executor of the 3D tour and the head of the culture and art site Voxart.lt. According to him, the virtual 3D tour allows to realistically capture and preserve this experience, combining the fair itself with all its content into one majestic work of art of digital experience.
The virtual tour is accessible on the ArtVilnius’21 website, in the 3D tour section. Those who want to take a closer look at the galleries presented at the fair are invited to visit the electronic catalogue of the fair participants. The catalogue gives an overview of works presented by all galleries and artists of the fair, prices, and descriptions of the works – it is possible to bookmark the favourite works and download them to your e-mail, see them hanging in a virtual 3D tour, and finally contact the galleries to purchase the works.
