According to Vytenis Jakas, the artist and founder of the “Kiemo galerija,” a man broke off signs from the wall near the artworks, including a QR code that told the story of a family commemorated in the gallery in Lithuanian and English. People who witnessed the incident stopped the man and called the authorities.
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“A man came, took a chisel and hammer and started breaking. I approached him and asked – why did you do this? He said in broken Lithuanian: I am a resident, I don’t like it here, there should be renovation,” said Darius Pečiulionis, a Kaunas resident who witnessed the event, to LRT.
Kaunas police confirmed that on August 26 at 11:09 a.m. they received a report about a man damaging art installations on E. Ožeškienė Street. An investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, bigger changes threaten the “Kiemo galerija” – the wall of the renovated building is planned to be replastered and repainted, so some artworks may be covered. Artist V. Jakas offers to repair the bottom of the wall at his own expense to preserve the artworks.
The situation was also commented on by art historian and director of the National M.K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, Virginija Vitkienė, on her Facebook page.
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She expressed support for Vytenis Jakas and the “Kiemo galerija” community, emphasizing that the artworks on the wall are not only examples of street art but also witnesses to the history and collective memory of Kaunas.
“It seems that before our very eyes, not only cultural heritage is being vandalized but also moral barbarism,” wrote V. Vitkienė.
She urged the residents of the renovated building to create conditions to preserve the artworks and pointed out that, in her opinion, the wall could be repainted without removing the artworks on it.
“It is possible to repaint while leaving the wonderful works of Vytenis and the inscriptions of history witnesses intact,” said V. Vitkienė.
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