Vilnius Residency
Prize

The Vilnius Residency Prize has been awarded to Rodrigo Hernandez presented by the gallery ChertLüdde, Berlin and P420, Bologna; Pietro Moretti presented by the gallery 1/9unosunove, Roma.

As part of the Lithuanian Culture in Italy 2025–2026 program, and in dialogue with the City of Vilnius and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Italian Republic, Artissima launches the first edition of the Vilnius Residency Prize. The prize will offer two artists represented by galleries participating in the fair the opportunity to undertake a one-month residency in 2026.

Jury: Valentinas Klimašauskas, Director of CAC Vilnius, an institution that will provide them with strong curatorial support, connections with local artists and institutions, and privileged access to the Lithuanian cultural network

Their remarks: First I’d like to acknowledge the gratitude for this special honour to choose two brilliant artists from a very competitive pool of very talented artists – the choice was far from being easy. The first artist is Rodrigo Hernández who was proposed by two galleries – by the italian gallery P420 from Bologna and ChertLüdde from Berlin. Between many other things, the artist was chosen also because of the intimacy of the work, technical focus on crafts and thematic attention and references to Pre-Columbian art, European Modernism and poetic individuality of the style. The second artist is Pietro Moretti (b. Rome, 1996) who is presented by 1/9unosunove. Moretti’s oil and watercolour paintings criss-cross political, mythological, mystical, poetic and fantastic narratives.  When choosing the artists I hoped that Vilnius urban, historical, natural, and other landscapes will inspire new references, conversations, or even new works. In any case, the Vilnius art scene will be delighted to accommodate these two artists with the outstanding artistic visions.

The artists will be hosted in Vilnius at the Užupis Art Incubator and the Trakų Vokė Residency. The residency aims to promote international cultural exchange by stimulating the professional growth of the participants and strengthening new artistic connections within Europe.