Join us at the Edinburgh Art Festival for a performance by Lithuanian artist Agnė Jokšė, whose work explores language normativity, autoethnography, reflections on intimacy and parallel histories.

Jokšė will perform their work Lezbynai, an erotic story about lesbian love against the background of Lazdynai, a district of Vilnius where the artist grew up. The residential houses of Lazdynai are reminiscent of a panopticon, situated in a way that allows everyone to watch each other, making any intimate gesture simultaneously private and public. In Jokšė’s story, this setting becomes a medium for spreading an unbridled sexual fantasy, which unfolds alongside the artist’s and their lovers’ relationships. It reveals the dynamism of the seemingly silent concrete walls of these buildings and the lives and thoughts of people living there.

This event is part of our events programme Queer Histories from the Baltic Region, organised in partnership with Edinburgh Art Festival, UK; Editorial, Lithuania; Kim?, Latvia; and Centre for Contemporary Art, Estonia. The programme is generously supported by the Baltic Culture Fund, the Lithuanian Culture Institute and Culture Attaché in the UK, and The Estonian Embassy in London.

Auto Italia’s commissions are made possible by our Exhibition Circle and Member supporters.

Please follow the link above to book your ticket.

Agnė Jokšė (b. 1993) is an artist and writer currently based in Vilnius. Using the tools characteristic of autoethnography, Jokšė tells stories in which personal experiences and past events related to contemplations of love, intimacy, relationships and friendship intertwine with imaginative reflections. Jokšė works in mediums such as video and performative text, and investigates questions concerning parallel histories, compassion, entangled relations, queerness and language. Recent projects include a solo exhibition at Editorial, Vilnius, presentations at GIBCA, Gothenburg, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, e-flux screening room, New York, CCA, Glasgow, Cell Project Space, London, Artists’ Film International, Whitechapel Gallery, London; Baltic Triennial 14. The artist’s work Dear Friend was granted the JCDecaux Award in 2019.