On 6 October 2021 the conference From Baltic to Balkan – Where is Artistic Research in the Academy of Arts: Underground, Überground or at the Rectors’ Office?” took place, a lecture-discussion held by Prof. Dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius from Vilnius Academy of Arts Lithuania. Dr. Vytautas Michelkevičius is a curator, writer and researcher, and heads the PhD programme in Fine Arts and the Department of Photography and Media Art at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania. He works with art and media projects and is interested in socialization through art, interdisciplinarity between art and research, experimental teaching and participatory curatorial practices. He has edited and written more than 10 books on art, media and residencies, including „Mapping Artistic Research. Towards Diagrammatic Knowing” (VDA Press, 2018) and „Atlas of Diagrammatic Imagination: Maps in Research, Art and Education” (together with Lina Michelkevice, VDA Press, 2019).

Held in UNArte’s Amphitheatre Hall at 28 Griviței Street, the conference started with the presentation of some of the art projects Dr Vytautas Michelkevičius put forward. The presentation opened a free discussion about artistic research starting from the identification of different concepts in artistic research. The discussions raised questions about the importance of language in artistic research, the inclusion of modernisation in artistic research that projects a new approach to research, starting from taking up ideas and concepts studied and used in artistic practice. The conference ended with a statement about how artistic research allows artists to have freedom of expression while being recognized for their work.