A new International Photography and Media Art Festival was launched in Kaunas on October 1st, 2023.

The theme of the festival exhibitions and lectures presented questions about the actualized interaction of artificial intelligence and art – what is the future of these media, or maybe that future is already now? Exhibition opened and lectures occured in the first week of October, and the festival continued until October 31st.

World-renowned artists presented their work and ideas: the scandalous Boris Eldagsen (Germany), who challenged the contemporary creative community; sound and artificial intelligence artist Jukka Hautamäki (Finland); Trondheim electronic art practitioner Zane Cerpina and Stahl Stenslie (Norway) working on cognitive and perceptual manipulation projects; art expert Ornela Ramašauskaitė (Lithuania); researcher Dalia Mikonytė (Lithuania), member of the artist group Cooltūristė; Minister of Culture and Innovation of the Republic of Užupis, inventor Gleb Divov (Lithuania); photographer, designer, lecturer Vėtrė Antanavičiūtė (Lithuania) and many others.

The festival included not only expositions but also educational and discussion activities – active listeners were invited to workshops and lectures. Today, the statement is often heard that “photography is dead” due to new technologies, “photographers are no longer needed” – but in the context of this festival, the spectrum of photography and other media dimensions and new possibilities may surprise you.

The exhibitions were exhibited in the Temporary Gallery of M. K. Čiurlionis, in the exhibition spaces of the National Kaunas Drama Theater, in the lobby of the Romuva cinema center; lectures took place in the amphitheater of the “Žalgiris” arena and the premises of the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum. The festival was organized by Kaunas College.