Artists Wanted: Join the “IŠKROVOS” Festival in Panevėžys, Lithuania
- Tomas Čižmakovas
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 1
The contemporary art and music festival “IŠKROVOS” has announced an open call for artists to participate in its 2026 gallery program “Threads.” The festival will take place from July 20 to 26.
“IŠKROVOS” is a creative platform located in the industrial district of Panevėžys (Tiekimo St. 4), Lithuania. In 2026, it will host its eleventh annual music and art festival. The venue has a rich history, having served as an administrative building for a supply company, a thriving 1,000 m² sewing factory, and now as an underground punk rock venue and a unique cultural space of its kind and scale in Panevėžys and its surrounding areas.
The festival site consists of a two-floor administrative building that includes an atomic shelter, a Soviet-style café, former sewing facilities, and an outdoor yard. Over the course of a week, our team organises exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and both live and electronic music performances across these spaces. We create an unconventional platform in our hometown, bringing together professional creatives and performers from across Lithuania and abroad. We also introduce visiting guests to local artists and cultural practitioners, fostering both intercity and international connections. Each year, the platform brings together artists from diverse disciplines and genres, united by a shared goal: to repurpose a former administrative building into something that brings cultural value to the people.
Over more than a decade, “IŠKROVOS” has grown into a distinctive platform where contemporary art, music, and community initiatives intersect. Each year, the festival team invites artists to engage with local history and the industrial environment.
This year’s gallery program is structured around two curatorial directions, united by the shared theme “Threads.” It invites artists to explore connections between place, memory, and movement. The open call is open to artists working across visual art, performance, community-based practices, and other disciplines, both from Lithuania and internationally.
The first direction, “Threads: Axis,” focuses on the history of the former sewing factory building, its local memory, and its relationship with the community. Selected artists will be invited to develop and present site-specific works that respond to the building’s architecture, industrial past, and everyday life.
The second direction, “Threads: Flow,” is dedicated to adapting existing works that align with the theme. Artists are invited to reinterpret and situate their projects within the festival context, creating a new, multi-layered narrative:
“We chose this year’s theme to engage more closely with the building and its surrounding environment. ‘Threads’ allows us to see the festival space not just as a site for displaying works, but as a living fabric shaped by history, people, and cultural context.
We are looking for artists who are interested in working beyond conventional exhibition settings—those willing to reveal the history of an industrial city and explore spaces that may seem abandoned, yet are rich with meaning,” says Milda Paužolytė, coordinator of the festival’s art program and projects.
Applications for the “IŠKROVOS” festival are open until April 30, 2026. Up to 18 artists will be selected for the gallery program, each receiving a €400 honorarium. Selected artists may also receive accommodation support on an individual basis.
Selected artists will be notified by May 31, 2026.
The installation and residency period will take place from July 13 to 19, 2026, followed by the exhibition opening on July 20, 2026. The festival will run from July 20 to 26, 2026.
The application form is available on the festival website:
The festival is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Panevėžys City Municipality.
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