Layers – exhibition of Baltic glass art
Gallery Arka, Vilnius, Lithuania,  August 21 – Sept 26, 2026

On Friday, August 21, at 6 p.m., Arka Gallery invites you to the opening of a unique exhibition featuring contemporary glass art from the Baltic countries.

The exhibition features 25 artists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. A similar exhibition was held in 2025 at the Riga Museum of Applied Art and Design and was voted the most-visited exhibition of the year in Latvia. The exhibition is scheduled to continue in Estonia in 2027 and in Japan in 2029.

This is one of the rare occasions when a group exhibition showcases the work of glass artists currently active in the Baltic countries, each with their own distinct experiences and artistic trends. The works presented in the exhibition are united by a metaphorical and physical theme of layering, through which the fragility of glass accentuates its capriciousness and unpredictability. The exhibition features artistic glass objects, sculptures, and installations created using various techniques, with a particular focus on materiality and the unique properties of glass.

The themes of the exhibition echo prevailing issues of our time—ecological sustainability, personal and collective memory, identity, the search for self, and reflections on the (in)finiteness of the relationship between humanity and nature, time and space. This underscores glass’s claim to be a distinct art form—one rooted in technological and material foundations yet thriving within a contemporary context. Glass art is a rather niche field due to the high cost of materials and tools, the need for specialized equipment and studios, the complexity of working with the material, and, ultimately, its fragility—not only during creation but also during transportation, storage, and installation. Consequently, such exhibitions are rare, and the diversity of the works offers an opportunity to explore the characteristics of form and visuality in the Baltic region and to examine the naturally evolving expression and nature of glass art.

The exhibition aims to reveal the multi-layered nature, dynamism, and craftsmanship of contemporary glass art, to capture and present the trends in contemporary glass art that enhance the impact of the viewing experience, and to reexamine the connections between technology, visuality, and conceptuality that are relevant today.

The exhibition at the “Arka” Gallery will run until September 26.

Authors: Danas Aleksa, Sofi Aršas, Ieva Birģele, Kārlis Bogustovs, Piret Ellamaa, Nerijus Erminas, Marta Frėjutė, Marta Ģibiete, Bārbala Gulbe, Domas Ignatavičius, IRMA Collaborative (Inguna Audere, Michael Rogers), Erki Kannus, Merle Kannus, Kati Kerstna, Kai Kiudsoo, Remigijus Kriukas, Rūta Lipaitė, Karlīna Mežecka, Anda Munkevica, Kairi Orgusaar, Irina Peleckienė, Julija Pociūtė, Tiina Sarapu, Dalia Truskaitė.
Kuratorės | Curators:Marta Ģibiete, Bārbala Gulbe, dr. Evelina Januškaitė, Kati Kerstna, Dalia Truskaitė.

Architect:Renata Valčik
Composer:Tomoo Nagai
Design:Lukas Stanionis
Partners:Lietuvos dailininkų sąjunga (Lithuanian Artists’ Association), Estonian Glass Artists Association, A. Sūnas mākslas galerija, MaBaDaKa, LDS galerija „Meno parkas“
Sponsors:Lietuvos kultūros taryba (Lithuanian Council for Culture), Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė (City of Vilnius), Cultural Endowment of Estonia, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.