On December 6, at 4PM, an open discussion was held at Kaunas Photography Gallery to discuss the value of contemporary art, the beginnings of collecting, and the mechanisms of the art ecosystem. The discussion brought together two professionals from different fields: artist Vytautas Kumža and curator and art market expert Justė Jonutytė.
The conversation was indeed uncomfortable – human and open, because it is often not easy for an artist to talk about the value of their work. The question of value is accompanied not only by success stories, but also by fragility and financial and emotional fluctuations. Even today, the most influential creators are remembered by their colleagues in very simple, sometimes difficult situations – just a few years ago, they lived in rented apartments, sleeping on mattresses on the floor at their friends’ houses.
However, the role of galleries became no less important at the event. They also take significant risks and experience no less failure: they invest in artists before they become famous, organize exhibitions in conditions that are not always guaranteed, incurring losses amounting to tens of thousands, and balance between economic realities and their goals. These challenges—for both artists and galleries—create a shared, interconnected ecosystem where value is formed in real life, not in abstract theories.
Vytautas Kumža
The artist’s work explores the emotional power of objects and the paradoxical logic of everyday life. The vigilance learned in childhood is now transferred to carefully composed scenes of photography and sculptural installations, in which static objects take on a fragile but tense state – as if ready to spring into action at any moment. Major solo exhibitions: CODA Museum (Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 2023), Museum Villa Mondriaan (Winterswijk, Netherlands, 2019). Group exhibitions presented at the Museum of Photography Seoul (2021), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2024), Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kiev (2020). The artist’s works are held in the collections of Boijmans Van Beuningen, MO Museum, CODA Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and private collections. Kumža is the winner of the NN Art Award (2022) and the Sybren Hellinga Art Prize (2019).
The event took place during the artist’s residency in Kaunas – from December 1 to 10, he led creative workshops for photography master’s students at the Kaunas Faculty of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, so the conversation became part of a broader educational program.
Justė Jonutytė
Curator, art market expert, and contemporary art educator. She completed her master’s degree in art history at the University of St. Andrews (UK). She has worked at the Tate Modern museum in London, Jonas Mekas’ studio in New York, and headed the RUPERT residency center for six years. In 2023, she founded the Art Club, a community dedicated to focused and deeper knowledge of art.
Jonutytė has been advising private clients on art investment for a decade and has taught art market courses in Lithuania and internationally for eight years: in Canada, Italy, South Korea, Finland, Iceland, and elsewhere. She has curated exhibitions in Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, and Iceland.
Exhibition “Fotogrãfijos salònas”
Guests of the event were also able to visit the exhibition “Fotogrãfijos salònas” at Kaunas Photography Gallery, which presents the diversity of contemporary Lithuanian photography – from conceptual explorations to reflections on the documentary tradition. The exhibition creates a dialogue between different generations and visual expression strategies, complementing the event’s themes about the value of art, its reception, and inviting people to decorate their homes with photography or start collecting it.
It was partially funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Kaunas City Municipality. The patron of Kaunas Photography Gallery is AON.