Photograph by Artūras Bulota
Biography
Evelina Šimkutė (b. 1985) is an artist and cultural producer working with socially engaged art and creative placemaking practices.
In 2012 Evelina graduated from the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and she is currently working in Lithuania.
Since 2015 Evelina is leading ‘Šilainiai Project’ – creative platform in housing estate of Šilainiai, Kaunas, which focuses on active engagement with the site and local community through a variety of creative processes – collaborative archives, workshops, artist residencies, talks and events. To learn more, visit www.silainiaiproject.com and www.silainiaiphoto.com and project Facebook page.
Currently Evelina Šimkutė is focusing on long-term strategies for sustainable city and community in the neigbourhood, coordinating Šilainiai Urban Gardens initiative.
Artist Statement
I am socially engaged arts practitioner and my work is grounded in aspects of site, land, and notions of home. Direction of my work is often steered by the environment and people I work with. Employing different mediums and collaborating with professionals from different fields as well as local community members, enables a wide range of outcomes: from walks and happenings in the neighbourhood to installations, residencies and events with hybrid forms.
I find it inspiring to work in unconventional and often challenging places – yards, basements, abandoned forts, testing perception of the boundaries between the public and private.
Striving towards a long term, sustainable practice that has a profound and long lasting positive impact to the individuals and the diverse local communities involved, since 2018 my practice is concentrating on the themes of Urban Gardens and Place for Creativity.
Photograph by Vytautas Paplauskas
Curriculum Vitae
Contact
silainiai@outlook.com
Born 1985 Kaunas, Lithuania
Lives and works in Kaunas, Lithuania
Education
2009-12 Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, BA (Hons) Fine Art
2008-09 Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Foundation
Selected Exhibitions
2016 ‘Šilainiai Project’ group exhibition, ‘Kabinetas’ project space, Kaunas, Lithuania (Curated & exhibited)
2016 ‘Kids on the block’ group exhibition, Šilainiai library, part of Kaunas Photo Festival, Kaunas, Lithuania (Curated)
2016 Solo Show ‘Objects’, ‘Kabinetas’ project space, Kaunas, Lithuania
2015 Šilainiams 30, Šilainiai Library, Kaunas, Lithuania (Curated & exhibited)
2014 In The City, Hanover Project, Preston, England
2012 Make-Room at Rainbow Works, Unit 9 Rainbow Works, Markfield Road, London, England
2012 BA Fine Art Degree Show, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, England
2012 Museum at Night Event, The London Canal Museum, London, England
2012 Junction: North London Cultural Consortium, 10 Woburn Walk, London, England
2012 Studio, in progress, We Are Arts Gallery, London, England (Solo show)
2012 Bridge(d), Gallery 272, London, England (Curated & exhibited)
2011 Very Un-Kettle’s Yard, The Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, England
2011 Art by Candle-light, The London Canal Museum, London, England
2010 CDR – Music of Tomorrow, The Whitechapel Gallery, London, England
2010 Apocaloco, The Counter Culture Project, London, England
2009 Showcase, Central St. Martins Window Gallery, London, England
2009 Foundation Exhibition, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, England
Awards
2018 Lithuanian Ministry of Culture 6 month Artist stipend
2017 Professional Artist status given by Lithuanian Ministry of Culture
2017 Kaunas City Municipality 3 month Artist stipend
Residency
2016 – 2017 August Travelling Architecture Project, Lithuania
2010 Residency & Exhibition, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, England
Commission
2016 Art happening in Kaunas VIII Fort, Lithuania
2011 ‘Play Japanese’ participatory installation at Grayson Perry Late, The British Museum, London, England. Project blog: https://playjapanese.wordpress.com
Bibliography
‘In the City, International artists exploring perceptions of the city on a global scale’ Published by Victoria Lucas, ISBN: 978-0-9930362-1-7
In the Press
Tvari bendrystė ir bendradarbystė Kaune: pokalbis apie „Šilainių sodus“ su Evelina Šimkute by Dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius. January 2020. Online: https://artnews.lt/tvari-bendryste-ir-bendradarbyste-kaune-pokalbis-apie-silainiu-sodus-su-evelina-simkute-55494
Kauniečiai sumanė kaip gyvenant mieste turėti savo daržą, TV3.lt, 2019 10 06. Online: https://www.tv3.lt/naujiena/lietuva/1012370/kaunieciai-sumane-kaip-gyvenant-mieste-tureti-savo-darza
„Šilainių projektas“ ir „Šilainių bitės“ kaip tyrimas, Marija Griniuk, Literatūra ir menas Nr 16, 2019 09. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/daile/marija-griniuk-silainiu-projektas-ir-silainiu-bites-kaip-tyrimas?fbclid=IwAR2KPYXEcMbyRoycFS4UZCtgWy29nl4o00TFtexr7QUi8ka-_l2Y49lGQb4
Šilainiuose šėls viduramžių aistros, Kauno diena, 2019-08-01. Online: https://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/silainiuose-sels-viduramziu-aistros-924765
Šilainių sodai, Happy365 Magazine, 2019 07.
Miesto sodai Šilainiuose: daugiau nei pačių užauginti ridikėliai, Kauno diena, 2019 07 03. Online: https://www.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/miesto-sodai-silainiuose-daugiau-nei-paciu-uzauginti-ridikeliai-920665
Iš emigracijos sugrįžusi kaunietė puoselėja Šilainių sodus: kaimas mieste – kodėl gi ne? 15min.lt, 2019 07 01. Online: https://www.15min.lt/gyvenimas/naujiena/laisvalaikis/is-emigracijos-sugrizusi-kauniete-puoseleja-silainiu-sodus-kaimas-mieste-kodel-gi-ne-1038-1167414
VIII forte esančiuose Šilainių soduose – patirties mainai su estais, Kaunas pilnas kultūros, 2019 06 29. Online: http://pilnas.kaunas.lt/2019/06/29/viii-forte-esanciuose-silainiu-soduose-patirties-mainai-su-estais/
Poezija Šilainiuose – geografinis taškas kaimynystėje, Vaida Stepanovaitė, Kaunas pilnas kultūros, 2019 05 28. Online: http://pilnas.kaunas.lt/2019/05/28/menesio-tema-poezija-silainiuose-geografinis-taskas-kaimynysteje/?fbclid=IwAR1kVkmTLz1W2rtU5FOL2vbwOCT7nOdpx28-ZLM4X7UX8Q0gLZpi3n_q3lk
Šilainių betono džiunglėse – žalia oazė: neištveria nefotografavę, Lietuvos Rytas, 2019 05 27. Online: https://www.lrytas.lt/bustas/mano-erdve/2019/05/27/news/silainiu-betono-dziunglese-zalia-oaze-neistveria-nefotografave-10484731/
Diskusijoje – Norvegijos ir Lietuvos kultūros bendradarbiavimo klausimai, Kauno diena, 2019 04 03. Online: https://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/diskusijoje-norvegijos-ir-lietuvos-kulturos-bendradarbiavimo-klausimai-908209
Šilainių mitas. Pokalbis su Evelina Šimkute, Artnews.lt, 2018 03 19. Online: http://artnews.lt/silainiu-mitas-pokalbis-su-evelina-simkute-46643
Narratives.lt, Interview by Raimonda Tamulevičiūtė, Narratves.lt, December 2017. Online: http://narratives.lt/en/2017/12/31/evelina-simkute/
“Further North” magazine, November 2017. University of Central Lancashire, UK.
“North” magazine, November 2017. University of Central Lancashire, UK.
Šilainiuose – Bastilijos šturmas. „Šeimininkė“ Nr. 37, 2017 09 15-21d.
VIII forto tuneliuose išdykavo muzika ir šviesa. Kauno Diena. 2017 07 15 Online: http://www.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/miesto-pulsas/sviesu-ir-muzikos-zaismas-viii-forte-820405
Logos, T. Kavaliauskas “Urbanstinės transformacijos kultūrologiniu ir socioekonominiu požiūriais: Kauno m. Šilainių rajono atvėjo analizė” April – June 2017 http://www.litlogos.eu/L91/Logos_91_098_106_Kavaliauskas.pdf
“Moteris” magazine, June 2017.
Kaunas – preserving, redefining, reviving Lithuania’s former capital by Will Mawhood. Rethinking a neglected sleeping district with Evelina Šimkutė. Estonian Urbanists’ review U (19), 2017. Online: http://www.urban.ee/issue/en/19#
Dark tourism. A brush with life on a Soviet era housing district in Kaunas, Lithuania… by Richard Green 05/03/2017. Online: http://www.mybathroomwall.co.uk/content.asp?ID=100&type=travel_oddities
Evelinos Šimkutės Šilainiai – balta drobė kūrybai. Kaunas pilnas kultūros. December 2016. Online: http://pilnas.kaunas.lt/2016/12/14/evelinos-simkutes-silainiai-balta-drobe-kurybai/
Audronė Meškauskaitė, Gyvenimą keičiantis menas. 2016 11 24. Nemunas, Nr. 20 (980) Online: http://www.nemunas.net/archyvas/20%20mazesnis%20.pdf
Vaida Stepanovaitė, Decentralizacijos projektų patirtys Lietuvoje. 2016 11 25. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/2016-11-25-nr-3591/3625-daile/5588-vaida-stepanovaite-decentralizacijos-projektu-patirtys-lietuvoje
Neringa Krikščiūnaitė, Kitoks Šilainių veidas. 2016 11 25. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/2016-11-25-nr-3591/3625-daile/5587-neringa-kriksciunaite-kitoks-silainiu-veidas
Pokalbis apie kultūros decentralizaciją Lietuvoje. 2016 11 21. Online: http://www.letmekoo.lt/author/vaida-stepanovaite/pokalbis-apie-kulturos-decentralizacija-lietuvoje/
A sleeping district of poets and painters: redefining Kaunas’s Šilainiai. Deep Baltic Blog. 2016 10 31. Online: https://deepbaltic.com/2016/10/31/a-sleeping-district-of-poets-and-painters-redefining-kaunass-silainiai/
Šilainiai driokstelėjo: forto tuneliuose – kaukianti sirena ir menininkų projektas. 2016 10 15. Online: http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/silainiai-driokstelejo-forto-tuneliuose-kaukianti-sirena-ir-menininku-projektas-776600
Evelina Šimkutė: „Šilainių fasadas tėra viena dėlionės dalis“. 2016 09 28. Online: http://kamane.lt/Kamanes-tekstai/Kinas-ir-fotografija/Evelina-Simkute-Silainiu-fasadas-tera-viena-deliones-dalis;
Tyrimų laukas – Šilainių mikrorajonas. 2016 09 19. Online: http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/tyrimu-laukas-silainiu-mikrorajonas-771776
Evelina Šimkutė: „Kūryboje ir darbuose Šilainiai visada buvo su manimi“. 2016 08 31. Online: http://kalbasilainiai.lt/evelina-simkute-kuryboje-ir-darbuose-silainiai-visada-buvo-su-manimi/
Daugiaaukščių Šilainių istorija domina net japonus ir australus. 2016 08 28. Online: http://kultura.lrytas.lt/meno-pulsas/daugiaauksciu-silainiu-istorija-domina-net-japonus-ir-australus.htm?utm_source=lrExtraLinks&utm_campaign=Copy&utm_medium=Copy;
Kaip miegamasis rajonas virsta kultūriniu židiniu. 2016 08 09. Online: http://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/asmenybe/kaip-miegamasis-rajonas-virsta-kulturiniu-zidiniu-285-666627;
Kokie yra tikrieji Šilainiai? 2016 08 05. Online: http://klaipeda.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/menas-ir-pramogos/kokie-yra-tikrieji-silainiai-763975
Evelina Šimkutė: „Šilainių ilgesys išaugino idėją surengti rajono nuotraukų parodą“. 2015 10 22. Online: https://www.silainiubustas.lt/index.php/puslapiai/kalba-silainiai/naujienos/ evelina-simkute-silainiu-ilgesys-isaugino-ideja-surengti-rajono-nuotrauku-paroda/336770
Other work
October 2018 – present Coordinator “Šilainiai Urban gardens” https://www.facebook.com/silainiusodai
May 2017 – October 2018 Curator of ‘Fluxus Labas’ community laboratories project, The European Capital of Culture, Kaunas 2022 http://kaunas2022.eu/
January 2017 – present Conference speaker, presented talks in Lithuania, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland and China.
2016 – present Founder and Creative Director of ‘Šilainiai Project’ creative platform, Kaunas, Lithuania www.silainiaiproject.com
October 2015 – present Founder and Creative Director of ‘Šilainiai Photo’ project, Kaunas, Lithuania www.silainiaiphoto.com
November 2012 – July 2015 Studio Assistant – Teaching Assistant at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
2011 – present Workshop leader, mentor, working with children, young adults, community groups and university students. Themes: site-specificity, photography, creative placemaking, contemporary art practice, socially engaged art practice.
Research interests
Sustainable community development, ethics of socially engaged practice.
Evelina Šimkutė 