Artūras Jendovickis | FREETHINKERS

2025 11 05 – 2025 11 29 / “Prospektas” Gallery (Gedimino Ave. 43, Vilnius)

On 5 November (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m., Prospektas Gallery (Gedimino Ave. 43, Vilnius) will open the solo photography exhibition Freethinkers by Artūras Jendovickis.

More than three decades of freedom and several generations of “freethinkers” freely rolling through the free cities of Lithuania. Artūras Jendovickis’ photography captures not only the faces of young and not-so-young Lithuanian skateboarders but also the unique historical space-time they have created and continue to create. The true history of the city is written by those who live it, and street culture becomes the most intimate environment for this kind of storytelling. After the collapse of the hyper-normative regime that dictated when, where, and how one should live, skateboarding culture became a means for young urban people to explore, rediscover and reshape Lithuanian streets and public spaces — transforming them into one vast playground of movement and freedom.

A former skateboarder himself, the author becomes a chronicler, historian, autobiographer, creator, and director all at once. With this project, Jendovickis tells not only a personal story but also the story of an era, a country, generations, and a subculture. This is not an everyday street photography project but a documentation of flowing, changing time and space. His compositions are deliberate and considered; his subjects — friends, acquaintances, people who matter to him. His perspective is personal and nostalgic; his narrative — enthusiastic and emotional. Every photograph is a story, every detail — a fragment of narrative, every composition — a gesture of respect to the street culture and the people who create it.

It is not easy to convey in words the atmosphere and mood of this moment, this era, this subculture. Yet the camera serves that purpose perfectly, documenting not only the author’s direct storytelling but also its elements, details, and nuances — those that give the image its carefully crafted texture and tone. The author plays with subdued, vintage, nostalgic shades of “film”, referring to past decades, and combines them with the contrasting, vivid clothing of the subculture, with its brands, symbols, graffiti, and chromatic energy.

The gazes and poses of his subjects are deliberately proud, somewhat dramatic, communicating a distinct sense of street dignity. Meanwhile, their stylish, relaxed clothing and posture convey confidence, carefreeness, and charismatic nonchalance. The locations chosen for the photographs — meaningful to the subculture — are not accidental either. These are the spaces that these free people have claimed and mastered through sweat, blood, friendship, and hard work, ritualistically repeating skateboard tricks day after day. The author was there; he knows them — this is his community of freethinkers.

The exhibition also explores generational dynamics. For the very first generation, this freedom had to be materialised, asserted through effort, passion, and even conflict — they fought for their freedom of movement in a city full of new opportunities and dangers. Jendovickis’ generation could already use and expand that freedom almost without constraints; they turned their focus to achieving international results, joining the global sports culture. Later generations, meanwhile, choose skateboards, streets, and concrete over the virtual space of the increasingly mediatised world. Their protest is liberation from the phone screen that promises freedom but imposes control — from a complicated and crisis-stricken world.

Jendovickis’ project continues to grow together with the subculture he observes, constantly enriched with new photographs. The encounter between new times and new generations of skateboarders in the city allows for a fresh experience and rediscovery of the familiar cultural environment in which the author grew up. The only thing that remains unchanged is what keeps drawing young people to the streets — the sense of freedom and the possibility to give meaning to the space they inhabit, in their own way and with authenticity.

– Arvydas Grišinas

The exhibition runs until 29 November.

Partners: Converse, Sony, BoardSports, Commune DIY.

The activities of the Lithuanian Photographers Association are funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.