The 6th edition of Art Vilnius, the only art fair in the Baltic region, will kick off tomorrow in the capital of Lithuania.

The fair will gather 55 international contemporary art galleries, coming from Belarus, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and the UK.

In addition, the fair has a focus on Ukraine this year, with seven galleries from the country participating: Kiev-based Tsekh, Karas, Ya, Bottega, Art’14, Ra, and Dnipropetrovsk-based Artsvit.

The director of ArtVilnius’15 and president of the Lithuanian Art Gallerists’ Association, Diana Stomienė, noted that more than 100 collectors and journalists from Ukraine will also attend the art fair.

“Although the political situation in Ukraine is very complicated, art continues to live on,” she said in a statement. “Unlike in Lithuania, Ukrainian private galleries cannot expect any help from the state and have to make money themselves. So it’s really important for them to participate in art fairs and look for new contacts.”

As part of a series of exhibitions running alongside the fair, Lewben Group will present for the first time a part of its art collection, curated by Francesca Ferrarini and featuring works by Charles Avery, Markus Schinwald, Tala Madani, Los Carpinteros, Tony Cragg, Thomas Houseago, Bertrand Lavier, Jonathas de Andrade, and Pedro Reyes.

In addition to the gallery program, the fair will stage a series of discussions and conferences around the topic of art collecting.

View of the past edition of ArtVilnius
Photo: Courtesy ArtVilnius’15

View of the past edition of ArtVilnius
Photo: Courtesy ArtVilnius’15

The art fair ARTVILNIUS’15 will take place at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo, from June 25–28, 2015.