The presentation of Austria within the “ARTscape“ programme is special for Austrian city Linz like Lithuania’s Vilnius is awarded the title of the European Capital of Culture this year. Thus from March 24th to April 22nd “ARTscape“ invites the audience to discover Austria through art, jazz and film. The project is part of national programme “Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009“.

Together with the comming spring, Austrian film programme is colourful and lively. It starts with a film by young, experimental cinema follower Timo Novotny and his film “Life in Loops”. As he labels it himself the film is a play with experimental music and documentary film. Gallery “Vartai” will be screening his shorts and music videos. For variety, colorful coproductions were added, like “Fuse” by Pjer Žalica and “The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema” by Sophie Fiennes, featuring the no less perverse contemporary philosopher Slavoj Žižek. Once again Michael Haneke‘s “The Piano Player” will be screened, worth seeing because of Isabelle Huppert's performance. The programme will be closed with black humour comedy “Dog Days” by Ulrich Seidl. Cinema programme will be shown in “Skalvija“ cinema centre and gallery “Vartai“ free of charge.

Austrian jazz programme is heightened by the participation of Christian Muthspiel, a trombonist, pianist, composer, extraordinary figure of Austrian jazz, and one of the leading creators of European new jazz. Christian Muthspiel is busy in various projects spanning from academic music to modern mainstream, free jazz and interdisciplinary projects. A masterful trombonist, he has exalted his instrument to a new level performing solo, in small jazz formations, various projects and symphony orchestras. His most renowned projects include Duo “Muthspiel&Muthspiel“ (with his brother guitarist Wolfgang) and his ten-year collaboration with the celebrated “Vienna Art Orchestra“. Christian Muthspiel brings his own trio, which since its formation in 2005 has been unceasingly winning the hearts of jazz aficionados. The trio’s unconventional line-up reveals timbral experiments of “Christian Muthspiel Trio“: the leader’s trombone passages are diving in a unique sound realm, whose mysterious quality is contributed by a French percussionist Franck Tortiller’s vibraphone, and its outline by Georg Breinschmid’s laconic and extremely precise bass.

Lithuanian jazz in this concert is represented by two prominent jazz personalities: Vytautas Labutis, a multiinstrumentalist, versatile musician, flexible improviser, and a “spiritus movens“ of Lithuanian jazz and his long-term colleague Arvydas Joffė, a drummer and percussionist, praised for his extraordinary energy, and for his suggestive acoustic and electronic percussion as well as his unique vocal. The concert will take place in State Small Theatre of Vilnius on April 17th. Tickets are available at “Bilietai Lt“.

In the third “ARTscape“ exhibition “Vartai“ gallery introduces one of the most famous Austrian sculptors, Erwin Wurm with his exhibition “Würstelstand”, along with the young Lithuanian artist Žilvinas Landzbergas with his installation “Snow Export”. The artists are united through their ironic perception of sculpture immersing the spectator in a colourful fiction of seemingly ordinary objects. With his work, Erwin Wurm manages to extend the conventional concept of sculpture; his installations involve a game of absurdity and impermanence, where anyone and anything can become a sculpture including the spectators of his exhibition or simple cucumbers. Meanwhile, the works of Žilvinas Landzbergas embody ‘notes’ on daily life, characters, autobiographies, symbols and habits of their application and analyzes the questions regarding the relationship between the artist and his work. It is sort of an abstract of household, social and economical notes conveyed through visual language. Exhibition is organized in cooperation with “Galerie Krinzinger“ in Vienna. It will be open from March 24th to April 22nd.

About “ARTscape“:

“ARTscape“ is a large-scale interdisciplinary project, presenting contemporary culture of twelve European countries, the cities of which are, were, or will become European capitals of culture. Throughout the year 2009 gallery „Vartai“, „Kino pavasaris“ and „Vilnius Jazz“ will show to the audience most remarkable pieces of and artists of visual art, cinema and jazz. “ARTscape“ is a part of national programme “Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009“.