FLUXUS FESTIVAL 2024 | Camino de Fluxus

6:00 PM | “Let's Play Fluxus!” ◈ Magic Carpets Exhibition Opening >> Kaunas Artists' House

From September 18th to 28th, the exhibition “Let's Play Fluxus!” will be on display at Kaunas Artists' House. This exhibition showcases socially engaging art experiences inspired by the Fluxus movement, where art is created, played, and lived. It is the result of the “Magic Carpets” residency platform in Kaunas.

7:00 PM | “George: The Story of George Maciunas and Fluxus” ◈ Documentary Screening >> Kaunas Artists' House

In the context of the Fluxus festival, we invite you to learn more about the artist whose name is synonymous with Fluxus. The documentary reveals the history of 20th-century avant-garde art in New York, centered around Lithuanian-born visionary George Maciunas. The film features interviews with his friends, wife, and colleagues, including Yoko Ono, Jonas Mekas, and Nam June Paik. A despotic personality, provocative humorist, visionary, businessman, architect, extraordinarily talented graphic designer, and even a “drag” culture representative, Maciunas had a utopian vision of a society where the most radical communist ideas could come true, and art would be life, and life would be art. Dedicated to Jonas Mekas, the film, filled with playful archival material, not only tells the story of “Fluxus” but is also a documentation of an artistic life.

6:00 PM | “The Lithuanian Fluxus Story: From Left to Right” ◈ Lecture and Discussion with Dovilė Zubavičiūtė >> Kaunas Artists' House

The news about the Fluxus movement, which emerged in the U.S. in the 1960s, reached Soviet Lithuania as early as 1963. Although the leftist Fluxus ideas had no chance of spreading widely in Lithuania at the time, word and rumors about the movement circulated in closed circles. As Lithuania entered the spirit of revival in the 1980s, Fluxus became increasingly recognizable as a cultural phenomenon in both form and content. Jonas Mekas even boldly stated that Fluxus contributed to Lithuania's liberation.

The lecture will explore which Fluxus ideas were most widespread in Lithuania at the end of the 20th century and what possible interpretations arose from them. How did the leftist nature of Fluxus serve national cultural and political goals during the years of Lithuania's Awakening? What does the Fluxus narrative mean today?

7:00 PM | “The Fake Broker” ◈ Performance-Tour by Domas Raibys >> Kaunas Artists' House

I write stories and tell them live. Sometimes, they’re funny.

I've always wanted to be close to art. So, as soon as I graduated from transport engineering studies, I got a job as a cashier at the Contemporary Art Center, right next to the Fluxus room. I worked there for five years. I quit because I couldn’t balance the job with drugs. I’m addicted to apples.

During the tour, I won’t raise any problems or solve important issues. I’ll tell stories inspired by the corners of the Kaunas Artists’ House and SOHO lofts.

5:00 - 8:00 PM | “Camino de Fluxus” Game >> Kaunas
During this game, we will create a costume reflecting our inner “fluxer” from recycled materials and, together with like-minded people, craft an object that will later be exhibited in an open-air gallery.

6:30 PM | “A Playful Fluxus Guide for the Ordinary Person” ◈ Interactive Presentation by Mantas Kuginis >> Kaunas Picture Gallery
“To elevate living art, anti-art, to emphasize NON-ARTISTIC REALITY so that it can be understood by all people, not just critics, dilettantes, and professionals” – an excerpt from the Fluxus manifesto.

Inspired by the idea that Fluxus is art accessible to everyone, Mantas Kuginis created the project Fluxuscomesalive.eu. It is a playful interactive guide based on the Fluxus object collection at the Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center. The aim is to convey the charm of the exhibits in a way that is understandable to ordinary people, not just academics or art critics. The project explores the Flux Post Kit and Fluxus Yearbox 2 collections of artistic jokes and games. Mantas will share his findings and stories from his 7-month research.

8:30 PM | Fluxus Climb >> George Maciunas Square