Two artists – Ettoja and Martynas Auž – embarked on a bold creative experiment in this space. For four days, it became their shared studio, where they collaborated in a live creative process, observed by visitors. This unique experience allowed the audience to witness the birth of a collective artwork in real time.
On the morning of March 6, the artists stood in front of an almost 15-meter-long (46 m²) installation. Thirty-six white canvases, assembled into a fragmented puzzle, awaited the first strokes of their brushes. For many artists, the blank canvas represents uncertainty and hesitation – but not for Ettoja and Martynas Auž. Both artists, with decades of experience in urban art, have created hundreds of large-scale murals, either independently or with a team, tackling the vast, empty walls of multi-story buildings. The completed artwork from this shared creative process will be on display at the exhibition Fragmented Timeline until May the 3rd. At the end of the exhibition, the installation will be dismantled, with each of the 36 canvases becoming a distinct, limited-edition piece bearing the collaborative authorship of Ettoja and Martynas Auž.
Through Fragmented Timeline, the artists delve into the fragility, randomness, and cyclicality of life. Each canvas reflects a fragment of memory, experience, or a fleeting moment, while the complete work forms a unified human figure. This figure serves as the centrepiece of the exhibition, representing the passage of time and humanity’s encounter with the past, present, and future. The collaborating artists explores the cycle of life – birth, growth, maturity, and decline. Their final creation is an invitation for viewers to reflect on how our lives intertwine with others, how fragments of the past shape the present, and how time impacts our identity.
Martynas Auž is an acclaimed illustrator, animator, and mural artist. He co-created and animated the award-winning film Cowboy, which earned Best Film at the Riga International Film Festival in 2020. He has participated in major cultural events such as Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022 and Tartu – European Capital of Culture 2024.
Ettoja is a Ukrainian-born, Lithuania-based artist with a background in architecture. In his colourful murals and paintings, he explores environmental and social themes by using ethnographical patterns and symbols and mixing them with the urban and digital world elements. Artist’s most significant graphic element is a black thick line. He uses it in a austere manner, reminiscent of architectural drawings. His iconic Einstein-Traveller mural, located near Vilnius’ bus and train stations, has become one of the city’s most recognizable street art landmarks. Ettoja has also contributed to Vilnius’ 700th anniversary campaign and created murals for leading tech companies.
Contour Art Gallery Partner: Dūmų fabrikas Project partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.