April 30–September 6, 2026
At the end of April 2026, the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius opened the new international group exhibition, Superglue, or Inventing the Friend. It marks a new phase for the CAC, inaugurating the exhibition programme under its new director, Valentinas Klimašauskas. Predominantly presenting figurative art, the exhibition invites a reconsideration of the CAC’s relationship with its audience.
Bringing together historical and contemporary works, Superglue, or Inventing the Friend reflects on encounters with the other through different notions of otherness, the emergence of the posthuman figure, and contemporary art itself as something not entirely knowable—something foreign. Assemblages of new and historical figures, individual and collective, implicitly raise the question: what kind of glue today could bind together a fragmented, combative, and rather narcissistic society? What role can art play in a world where opinions are becoming increasingly rigid? And, in the hell of ideological excess, what might still allow us to imagine relationships that open the possibility of authentic, unpredictable, non-commodified experiences—friendships, or even the possibility of falling in love with the other rather than rejecting them?
What forces still compel us to form connections amid growing polarisation, narcissism, constant networking, the commodification of relationships, and multiple crises and wars? Is it still possible to establish a relationship with the other? Can we construct ourselves positively through the other—seeing them not only as an enemy or a friend? And if so, might this be one of the functions of contemporary art? What frightens us today—and what might make us flee an exhibition?
Finally: how, despite everything, can we become friends?
The people listed below represent only a fraction of those who helped glue this exhibition together—its opening and the many events surrounding it—in the hope of bringing people closer together.
Artists
Noor Abed, Rebecca Ackroyd, Danas Aleksa, Nils Alix-Tabeling, Algirdas Araminas (1931–1999), Andrius Arutiunian, Maty Biayenda, Yuliya Bokhan, Arvida Byström, Jakub Choma, Tony Cokes, Milda Drazdauskaitė (1951–2019), Saskia Fischer, Dorota Gawęda & Eglė Kulbokaitė, Indriķis Ģelzis, Volungė Aušra Griškonytė, Vida Gruzdaitė (1940–1993), Rodrigo Hernández, Roberts Jansons, Martin Káňa, Jūratė Kazakevičiūtė, KNAF (Leszek Knaflewski, 1960–2014), Magdalena Lazar, Kris Lemsalu, Ghislaine Leung, Kateryna Lysovenko, Isaac Lythgoe, Tomas Martišauskis, Katsiaryna Miats, Miķelis Mūrnieks, Terje Ojaver, Agata Orlovska, Pakui Hardware, Goda Palekaitė, Karol Radziszewski, Artūras Raila, Eglė Rakauskaitė, Tomáš Roubal, Janina Sabaliauskaitė, Piotr Skiba, Antanas Sutkus, Jurga Šarapova, Virgilijus Šonta (1952–1992), Pol Taburet, Jonathan Vinel
Curator
Valentinas Klimašauskas
Exhibition architecture
INBLUM Architecture and Interior Studio
Lighting Designer
Justas Bø
Project manager
Gabija Tarabildė
Coordinators
Kotryna Karyznaitė, Karolina Žalėnaitė
Technical Director
Lukas Strolia
Technical Production
Aismantas Čenkus, Matas Janušonis, Almantas Lukoševičius, Teodoras Malinauskas, Kazimieras Sližys, Matas Šatūnas, Ilona Virzinkevič
Communications
Monika Valatkaitė, Ana Marija Mackevič
Graphic Design
Vytautas Volbekas
Public Programme Curators
Kamilė Krasauskaitė, Miglė Markulytė
Education Programme Curator
Agnė Taliūtė
Hospitality Team Coordinator
Gintarė Urmonaitė
Texts
Emilija Kairytė, Banga Elena Kniukštaitė
Lithuanian Language Editor
Dangė Vitkienė
Translators
Paulius Balčytis, Emilija Ferdmanaitė, Ignė Smilingytė
English Language Editor
Gemma Lloyd
Moving Image Programme Editor
Mikas Žukauskas
Opening day: April 30, 2026
Event Director
Kamilė Krasauskaitė
Street Commons
Performance by Malka Sultan
Creative Team of Street Commons:
Agota Balčiūnaitė, Aidas Stončius, Aleksas Jukumas, Aliaksandra Laurusenka, Anastasija Pčelinceva, Austėja Zabulytė, Benediktas Launikonis, Daniel Kravčiuk, Dominykas Liberis, Gerardas Remeikis, Giedrius Satkūnas, Kamilė Žekonytė, Liepa Grušnytė, Liepa Okulič-Kazarinaitė, Liepa Siauraitytė, Lukrecija Jurėnaitė, Malka Sultan, Motiejus K. Mainelis, Neringa Kristanaitytė, Sandra Skardžiūtė, Stela Skerlaitė, Titas Ignatavičius, Vaiva Liubeckaitė
Fused Bonds: Cooking Together
Project by Gabija Paulauskaitė
CAC Camp Alumni
Urtė Jarmuškaitė, Pranas Gustainis, Ugnė Adelė Nakaitė
Live Sound Performance
Maryana Klochko (UA)
DJs
Raivo, Ievaie, Jūra Elena Šedytė, Eglė ir Kotryna, Donatas Chipak
Technical Support
Merkys Žebrauskas
Lighting
Justas Bø, Vytautas Budziejus
Sound
Tavo linija
Special thanks to our volunteers
Eglė Žalnerauskaitė-Aužbikavičienė, Laura Gražytė, Simona Mortensen, Agnė Naujokaitė, Sofija Vaitkaitytė, Emilija Totorytė, Birutė Kakarienė, Kristína Gajdošová, Marija Šimaitytė, Radvilė Barauskaitė, Marta Liaukevich
