Street art gallery magazine Street art gallery magazine | Page 10

NO . 1 | DECEMBER 2019
Lina: The project began as an artistic idea to express what I felt while having walks in
Vilnius and observing all the marks left by the generations that lived here before. It
was an attempt to show this invisible side of the city, the time when these streets
were pulsating with Jewish life and culture, with its own routine, its own colors and
even smells. 
Lauryna: This is why we chose the artwork to be based on old pictures of simple
people. Bypassers caught on camera a century ago. Usually, if we make a monument
to someone – it’s someone with great achievements. If we make a portrait – it’s usually
some renowned person. And we chose to bring back memories of everyday folks –
regular people who were also doing something good for society, but their names
aren’t in history books.
You chose spraypaint – a contemporary form – to convey a historical message. Why
did you choose this technique? Street art tends to raise controversies. 
Lina: We wanted to discuss our past with a modern technique. We’re used to seeing
history in museums or books, and that kind of discussing sensitive topics might
already be outdated and unattractive to the generation that’s about to shape our
future. We wanted to distance ourselves from these cliches and discuss our history in
a contemporary manner. We wanted our murals to be like real people you can meet
by accident. Someone that simply catches your attention.
Graffiti and street art are subject to controversy and some people tend to have a
negative opinion about it. In fact, this is the reason for some of our problems in the
initial stage of the project. Owners of buildings we wanted to use for the artwork
sometimes dismissed the idea as soon as they heard what technique we want to use.
I’m really happy to say we found a lot of  open minded people to support the idea. And
the fact that this kind of art tends to raise controversies was just another challenge for
me as an artist. 
Lauryna: In fact, we get a lot of feedback from lots people that represent various
backgrounds and different generations. I remember an elderly couple that stopped to
observe our work. “How beautiful!” they said. It was pure and honest joy, with no
dissatisfaction over the fact that we’re spray painting on walls of the Old Town.
Getting that kind of feedback from different generations feels great!
Lina: I noticed that people tend to focus on the art piece itself rather than the
technique. Drawings on walls aren’t vandalism, if people understand the message you
are trying to tell.
Thank you!