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The Lithuanian Pavilion Without Walls is co-organized by Performa, the Lithuanian Culture Institute, and Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York, with generous support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, among others. It is also generously supported by Lithuania Foundation. Together, the partners will commission and present new works by contemporary Lithuanian artists Lina Lapelytė and Pakui Hardware, as well as Performa Projects by Raimundas Malašauskas, Robert Narkus, and Augustas Serapinas.
Initiated in 2013, the Pavilion Without Walls program reflects Performa’s commitment to presenting the social, political, and artistic landscapes of different countries through live performance. Over the last decade, this curatorial platform has brought voices from Australia, Estonia, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, and Taiwan to New York audiences. Each Pavilion is developed over a two-year research period in close collaboration with cultural institutions, curators, artists, and educators from the featured country to create a dynamic and deeply contextual program.
Artist duo Pakui Hardware—Neringa Černiauskaitė and Ugnius Gelguda—explores mental health and artificial intelligence through the structure of a classical Greek drama, examining themes of belonging and alienation in this new sound and sculptural commission.
The performance addresses contemporary mental health concerns through a live therapy session between a vocalist protagonist and an AI therapist. The libretto navigates an interior landscape of human emotions, reflecting on our increasingly isolated world, where technology both enhances well-being and mediates—or at times distorts—our relationships with one another, with society, and with the natural environment.
Pakui Hardware weaves these urgent questions into a visually striking sculptural and light installation, culminating in a kaleidoscopic performance experience. A new electronica composition by Miša Skalskis accompanies the work, alongside a community choir guided by Vaidas Bartusas, whose ritualistic vocal techniques and rigorous harmonic methods embody a collective voice. Together, these elements invite audiences to reflect on the entanglements of technology, society, and emotional well-being.
Co-commissioned and co-produced by Operomanjia Vilnius. Curated by Job Piston, Curator-at-Large. Produced by Adrienne Swan.
Co-commissioned and co-produced by Operomanjia Vilnius and presented as part of the Lithuanian Pavilion Without Walls for Performa 2025 organized in collaboration with the Lithuanian Culture Institute.
