“Archivum Archaios” Exhibition at the VU Ideas Observatory

On July 24 at 6:00 PM, the VU Ideas Observatory will open the second edition of the exhibition “Archivum Archaios”, a collaborative project by Vilnius University (VU) and the Vilnius Academy of Arts.

Created to mark the 245th anniversary of life sciences at Vilnius University and the 10th anniversary of the VU Life Sciences Center, the exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the University’s historic natural history collections preserved in the Geology Museum, Zoology Museum, and Herbarium, alongside contemporary artistic interpretations inspired by them.

The exhibition title combines the Latin word archivum (“archive”) with the Greek archaios (“ancient” or “original”). It reflects on archives not simply as places of preservation, but as spaces shaped by decisions about what deserves to be kept, how it should be classified, and which stories are told. At the same time, the title points toward origins—toward a world that existed before names, categories, and human systems of organization. While exploring the University’s historical collections, the participating artists focused not only on the specimens and their histories but also on the archive spaces themselves, their structures, light, fragility, and the traces left by time.

Following its first presentation at the VU Botanical Garden in Kairėnai, the exhibition now moves to the city center. According to curator Rūta Spelskytė, the VU Ideas Observatory serves as the ideal venue for many of the artworks, which were conceived specifically for its rotating domes, views of the night sky, acoustic environment, and contemplative atmosphere.

Participating artists: Elena A. V. Reckewitz, Dagnė Petkevičiūtė, Viktorija Balkutė, Vilius Vingras, Rūta Spelskytė, Fausta Lukošiūtė, Aidas Stončius, Kornelijus Zaleckas, Adomas Mažeika, Anna Chostegian, Austėja Zabulytė, Rima Briškaitė, Gintas Kavoliūnas, Paulė Vaitkutė, Kotryna Navickaitė, and Raminta Beržanskytė.

Curators: Rūta Spelskytė and Mindaugas Rasimavičius
Publication design: Alvė Skauronaitė
Visual identity: Vilius Vingras

The exhibition is organized in collaboration between the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center and the Vilnius Academy of Arts.