“It’s June 29th. one Vilnius guide and her group noticed. The guests giggled when they saw the drawn “Išminčių” and showed photos showing that on June 28. the painting was still clean,” 15min said artist Lina Šlipavičiūtė, author of the project “Sienos prisimena” and mural.
According to the interviewer, the vandals intentionally wanted to damage the work. As written on the Facebook page of “Sienas Prisemena”, the attack may be directed once morest Lithuanian Jews and their historical memory.
“We really think so, but we cannot say 100 percent. There is no anti-Semitic symbolism in the graffiti, although to be honest I don’t recognize what it says at all. However, it is obvious that it was painted specifically on “Išminčius”, and not somewhere nearby”, L. Šlipavičiūtė commented on her statement.
“Išminčius” is one of the most famous works of the project “Sienos pisimena” regarding Jewish heritage. As the artist stated, this visual is often used by the Lithuanian Jewish community when these topics are discussed. That’s why she got the idea that the vandal attack might be anti-Semitic.
What does “Sage” represent? “It symbolizes the rich cultural heritage of Vilnius Jews. It tells regarding how 100 years ago, even before the war and the Holocaust, we all lived and married in the same Vilnius in a friendly manner”, commented L. Šlipavičiūtė.
“It’s not for nothing that the entire series is located in the old town of Vilnius,” she added.
The artist said that a lot of work will be needed to restore “Išminčių”. First of all, you need to clean the existing graffiti and repaint the mural.
The project “Remembers the Wall” was financed by Vilnius municipality, but the building on which “Išminčius” is painted is a private business.
“We are 100 percent we are determined to put our efforts into fixing the drawing, but we would also need help from the environment”, said L. Šlipavičiūtė.
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2024-07-18 08:08:57
