Vilija
Vitkute
Vilija Vitkute is a visual artist, photographer, body painter, film director, and paper cut artist.
She was born in 1992 in Klaipeda, Lithuania. Her mother was a piano teacher, and they lived in an art and music school, where Vilija grew up and learned about the arts. At the age of 6, Vilija dreamed of becoming a true artist who inspires people. In 2010, during the economic crisis in the country, Vilija moved to Dalarna, Sweden, where she began working as a professional artist.
She built her art career and discovered body painting in 2013, which has changed her life. Today, she lives between Sweden and South Tyrol in the Alps with her family, Johannes Stoetter and their daughter Linnea.
Vilija's art speaks about the human relationship with nature; her passion for art comes from the natural environment, travels, music, and stories. She focuses on the human body, environmental protection, equal rights, climate change, and other essential topics. Vilija is a multi-talented artist who works with mixed art techniques and multidisciplinary projects.
During her artistic and body painting work in Scandinavia, she discovered the world of performance and film, which she dove into with passion. This later brought her rewards, including the title of Artist of the Year in the Dalarna region, winning Music Video of the Year in Sweden, and many other cultural prizes.
2 TIMES WORLD BODYPAINTING CHAMPION
IN SPECIAL EFFECTS "CLEAR MIND- CLEAN PLANET" 2019
AND CAMOUFLAGE BODYPAINTING
2021
AT WORLD BODYPAINTING FESTIVAL IN KLAGENFURT AUSTRIA
About
the
artist
Vilija has created various art projects around the world, one of the touching being in the barren landscapes of the Arctic Circle - Lofoten and Abisko, where she spent over five years discovering nature and delivering several art projects that have been recognized in international media.
Vilija has performed and exhibited at the Venice Biennale 2015, Avesta Art, BOOM Festival, Amsterdam International Art Fair, Falun Magazinet, Peace & Love Festival, AgitAgueda in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Menuo Juodaragis in Lithuania, and many more festivals and venues.
In 2019, she became a mother, and three months after giving birth, she won the World Champion Award at the World Bodypainting Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria, securing 1st place in the special effects category with the themeClear Mind - Clean Planet."
In 2019, Vilija initiated a significant international project called "The Memory of Water," which she is developing in collaboration with choreographer Malgorzata Sus (www.thememoryofwater.org). The artists have already traveled to Norway and Sweden, creating several bodypainting videos and photographs for this project that will be part of Vilija's exhibition at the World Bodypainting Festival 2021.
Vilija's works have been featured in VOGUE magazine, SVT, CABEL1, DAILYMAIL, the VENICE Biennale, BOOM Festival, CNN, the New York Post, and others.
CV/BIO
Performance
2015, Avesta ART, body painting performance.
2015, Magasinet Falun Konst Kvadrat, photography, performance.
2016, Home Of Art Amsterdam, performance.
2016, Tone Art, Stockholm, photo exhibition and performance.
2016, Waterfront, Stockholm, performance.
2016, UMAMI, Stockholm, performance.
2016, BOOM, Portugal, performance.
2016, Leksand Culture Night, performance.
2017, Normalstorg Music Street Day, Stockholm, performance.
2017, "Arise Amazons," orient theater, Stockholm.
2017, "Kasai," Stockholm, performance.
2017/18, Psy-Fi, Netherlands, performance.
2017, Agitagueda Art Festival, Portugal, dance body paint performance.
2017, Linköping Pride Festival, circus body paint performance.
2017, World Bodypainting Festival, circus body paint performance.
2018/2019, Agitagueda Art Festival, Portugal, dance body paint performance.
2018/2019, World Bodypainting Festival in Klagenfurt, performance.
2018, Menuo Juodaragis, Lithuania, performance.
2021, The Memory of Water performances at Stadtgallerie Klagenfurt.
2021, The Memory of Water performance at Nordiska Akvarellmuseet, Tjörn.
SOLO EXHBTIONS
2015 Smak och Mera, Falun
2016 Home of art “What Do we Run For”, Amsterdam
2016 Leksand Kultur Natta, Leksand
2016 Boho hotel , Stockholm
2017 Stockholm “Elements’ exhibtion in collaboration with VICE magazine, Stockholm
2018 Henningsvear klatreskole, Lofoten Norway.
2019 Lofoten Sea Skrona art festival , landscapes within exhibition
2021 Klagenfurt Stadt Gallery ,The Memory Of Water exhibtion.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2015, Venice Biannale, Italy.
2015 Amsterdam International Art Fair, Amsterdam.
2015 Magasinet Konst Kvadrat, Falun.
2016 Tone Art”, Stockholm.
2017 Lofoten kulturhus, Svolvær Norway.
2019 Blank Space, Oslo.
2020, Lofoten sommar exhibtion in Baldstad, solo exhibition
FILM AND VIDEOS
2013 LCTRISC music video “ Fire in the distance future” Sweden
2013 Hanna Turi “Some Kind Of Hell” Sweden.
2014 Humbugfree “Hawaii” Sweden.
2014 “Living With it” dance, art film. Iceland.
2015 “ Running Rivers” Norway, film directing, producer.
2015 “Cotton Wads” Hanna Turi, directing. Sweden
2016 Andrius Mamontovas “Tolimu Zvaigdziu sviesa. Directing. Sweden
2016 “Heavy heart” Hanna Turi, directing.
2016 “VILIJA” directing Åre, Sweden.
2016. “Art Of Iceland” Producer, asistant, model. Iceland.
2017. “ Ei Boy Nakam” Gee Dixon music video. Stockholm
2017. “Elements” AmerikaBand music video. North Sweden/Norway
2017. “Long Winter” directed , produced film by Vilija Vitkute. Stockholm
2018. "Antarctica" art video directed and created by Vilija Vitkute Gnesta.
2018. "Suppressed bodies" art video work with Norwegian composer Tine Surel Lange and dancer Thomas Voll in Norway Lofoten.
2019. "Be Water" art and dance film creation in Portugal.
2019. " Perfume" music video for Karin PARK. Costume design and bodypaint.
2019. " Dolasilla" art video for Vilija Vitkute in collaboration with dancer Malgorzata Sus.
2020. UYN shoe TV commercial , created in Switzerland.
2021. Art film creation in Iceland with The Memory Of Water.
TV SHOWS
2013. SVT Bolibumpa TV show, project.
2017 El Hormigerio work with Johannes Stoetter and Javier Bardem “Pablo Escobar ” film introduction in Madrid - link https://www.antena3internacional.com/programas/el-hormiguero/noticias/johannes-stotter-ilusion-guacamayos_201803065b0300010cf2967039edfeb7.html
2018 TV Show Italian Got Talent Final. ((bodypainting assistant and model for Johannes Stoetter)
2019 China Got Talent (bodypainting assistant for Johannes Stoetter)
2019 Kabel 1 documentary about artist Vilijas Work.
2020 British Got Talent ((bodypainting assistant for Johannes Stoetter)
2020. French got talent ( model/actress for Johannes Stoetter animal illusion show)
2021. German Got Talent ( model/actress for Johannes Stoetter animal illusion show)
AWARDS/ nominations
Vilija Stipendium 2013
Borlänge Kultur Pris 2014
Rotary pris 2014
Dalarnas Landstigets Kultur Pris 2015
Music video of the year DMA 2015
2017. “Elements” as best bodypaint video opening Bodypainting competition in Caroline theater, USA.
2017. UV effects bodypainting 5th place and Brush and Sponge 7th Place.
2018. Bodypainting team category 5th place.
2019. World bodypainting chiampion in SFX 1st place.
NOMINATIONS
2016. “Cotton Wads” Nominated music video of the year at DMA.
2019. Nomineted Dumbo Film Festival festival/iceolo film.
2019. Music chorts film festival/ Icelo film.
2019. Special Effects World Bodypainting Chiampion in Austria, Klagenfurt.
2021. World chiampion in Camoflage Bodypaitning in Austria, Klagenfurt.
Art/Bodypainting collections
2013“Other Species”
2014“Some Kind of Hell”
2014 “Living with it”
2015 “Cirkus”
2016 “What Do we Run For”
2016 “Sumakk”
2017 “Rainbow”
2017 “Elements”
2017 “Autumn”
2018 “Winter”
2018 “Frida Kahlo”
2018 “North Lights”
2018 “Long Winter”
2019 “One with nature /Camouflage”
2019 "Be Water"
2019 "Lucia"
2020 " Arctic Landscapes Within"
and more
Festival work
Peace and Love festival Borlange / years - 2014, 2015.
- Granny Goes Street Falun / -2015, 2016
-Multi culturel festival Falun. /2016
PROFFESION
Artist, visual artist, bodypainter, performing artist, film director, art director, photographer, project manager, art teacher, producer, corator.
Languages:
(mother language) Lithuanian, ( perfect) English and Swedish, (basic) Norvegian, German.