And the Wind Will Take Us Away

“The wind is not simply the wind; it is the way in which we experience our being in the world, as part of the world.” Heidegger

Today, spring is woken by the warm but worrisome wind, by the whispers of colourful birds and in some parts, by sirens – not the creatures from the Greek mythology who were hybrids of birds and women and lured sailors to destruction with the sweetness of their songs, but by the devices that provide emergency warning of approaching danger. Psychologically speaking, there is a huge similarity between the mythical siren and the civil defence alarm – both bring to mind and behaviour swathes of destruction. The radius of their sound and the quantity of people sirens can reach depends not just on volume but also on wind, which spreads the sound across space.

But wind is not just a force of nature that plays a significant role on our Earth but also is an important geopolitical source of worry around the world. Indeed, wind helps to distribute heat and moisture across the planet, influencing climate patterns. It drives ocean currents, such as the trade winds, which affect monsoons and storms. Over time, wind shapes deserts, coastlines, and mountains. Stronger winds caused by climate change increase hurricanes, typhoons and desertification, leading to more natural disasters, human migration and conflicts over resources. In the geopolitical sphere wind plays a crucial part in energy and global power shifts. For instance, wind is an environmental “activist” against the totalitarian countries such as Russia which is rich in fossil fuels and which has historically controlled energy markets. Wind allows other nations to produce their own electricity – green energy – and to become independent and energy secure. Although, as countries race towards renewable energy, control over wind energy is becoming a new geopolitical battleground. Looking through the historical perspective, wind has been an invisible but powerful force in human progress, at some point also causing regression. Wind-powered sailing vessels enabled early civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks and Vikings to trade and explore, and dictated the routes of naval empires. It disrupted military operations back then as well as today: causing mayhem in warfare and drone surveillance on the battlefield in Ukraine, which fights for its security, freedom and sovereignty. However, at the Earth’s very foundation, at the core of all beginnings, lie two essential interconnected elements – soil and water. Both are significant elements reflected in the exhibition “And the Wind Will Take Us Away” which unfolds a visually and sonically immersive map, addressing urgent global issues through scientific and artistic research spanning multiple disciplines and media: installation, video, photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, tapestry and performance.

The exhibition introduces participating artists from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway, with a particularly emphasis on Ukrainian artists. It reflects on themes such as war, migration, the discourse of colonialism and imperialism that spans several centuries and its profound consequences for humanity; territorial security; forced migration, trauma, and historical and cultural memory; the preservation of cultural identity; ecology and climate change. The exhibition contemplates historical events that, in certain ways, are repeating themselves today.

Mountains, burial sites, rivers, cities, rye fields, hills, a plain flooded with beach sand, the ocean… Greenery, greenery covered with marble-grey hues, greenish-blue reflecting shades of yellow, green, brown, a distant, lonely blue… In these winding valleys – in these segments of parabolas – a vast and compelling, all-consuming transformation is taking place. A transformation influenced by humanity. In these parabola valleys, the chain reaction of ecosystem disintegration unfolds. In these valleys, skyscrapers rise, houses decay and collapse, inhabitants, animals and plants migrate in interconnected chains. At the very beginning of these chains, battles take place between individuals, and wars erupt between different human cultures. Geopolitical wars, fueled by the ideologies of different nations, driven by greed, industrial interests and technological advancements…

Exhibition curator Lina Albrikienė
Exhibition architect Sigita Simona Paplauskaitė
Graphic designer  Rūta Rancevaitė
Curator’s assistant Šeila Žilinskaitė
Producing architect Tomas Styra
Light designer Renaldas Bartulis
Exhibition installation team Liudvikas Kesminas, Vadim Šamkov, Rytis Urbanskas, Irmantas Kuskys, Jānis Pomerancevs, IDĖJA reklamos studija

Artists

Eero Alev
Katya Buchatska
Vija Celmins
Mindaugas Gapševičius
Kristaps Epners
Gabrielė Griciūtė
Nikita Kadan
Zhanna Kadyrova
Edith Karlson
Zoya Laktionova
Alina Lamakh
Kris Lemsalu
Dainius Liškevičius
Laura Põld
Marharyta Polovinko
Viktoriia Rozentsveih
Solveig Settemsdal
Paulius Šliaupa
Jaan Toomik
Ivar Veermäe
Lina Albrikienė

The project is financed by Lithuanian Council for Culture, Panevėžys City Municipality
Partners The Latvian National Museum of Art, The Lithuanian Sea Museum, Lithuanian embassy in Ukraine
Media partner LRT
Supported by UAB Kalnapilio-Tauro grupė, AB Roquette Amilina

Illustration: Lina Albrikienė’s work Let’s Make the World Great Again, 2020-2025