Darius Žiūra (born in Joniškėlis, Lithuania, in 1968) received his MFA in Painting from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 1997 and his PhD in Fine Arts from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2017.

Žiūra has staged over ten solo exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad and participated in numerous international exhibitions and events, among them “Blood and Soil: Dark Arts for Dark Times” at CAC Vilnius in 2019, “Waiting for Another Coming” at CAC Vilnius and Zamek Ujazdowski, Warsaw, in 2018–19, ‘A Temporary Futures Institute’ at M HKA, Antwerp, in 2017, the 10th Kaunas Biennial in 2016, Manifesta 7, Trentino-South Tyrol in 2008, Manifesta 5, Donostia-San Sebastián in 2004 and “ARS 01” at Kiasma, Helsinki in 2001.

In his work, Žiūra focuses on long-term documentary practices that eventually unfold as multi-layered, socially engaged projects. His Guard of Honor was one of the five finalists of the Lukiškės Square Memorial Competition in 2017, In the summer of 2018, he organised the art festival Gustoniai Art Days in the village of Gustoniai (Pasvalys district, northern Lithuania), where, alongside a curated cultural programme, he presented 18 years of continuous work on the project Gustoniai to the local community and the art public.

In December 2024, Žiūra completed a postdoctoral fellowship programme at the Institute of Art Research, Vilnius Academy of Arts. The same year, he was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts.

Darius Žiūra lives and works in Vilnius.

Education:

1991–97
Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius Faculty, Department of Painting

2012–16
Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius Faculty, doctoral studies in arts

Solo Exhibitions:

2022–23
“Portraits”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius

2020
“Golden Age”, Trivium Gallery, Vilnius

2018
“The Monument for Utopia”, NN Contemporary, Northampton, UK
“Gustoniai Art Days”, Gustoniai, Lithuania

2014
“SWIM”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2010
“Selected Takes”, Antje Wachs Gallery, Berlin

2007
“Collection”, Antje Wachs Gallery, Berlin

2005–06
“Portraits”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2005
“Other Voices, Other Rooms”, Magazzino d’Arte Moderna Gallery, Rome
“Arrivals: Lithuania”, Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK

1998–99
“Another Space”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

1993
“ZH2O”, Akademija Gallery, Vilnius

Selected Group Exhibitions and Events:

2026
International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York
IPMA International Photography and Media Art Festival, Kaunas Picture Gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania

2025–26
“Forever Temporary”, MO Museum, Vilnius

2025
“Until Hope Do Us Part”, Atletika Gallery, Vilnius
“Not of One’s Free Will”, Kairė–Dešinė Gallery, Vilnius

2024
“Take a Video Camera and Travel the World” (film programme), Le Polaris de Corbas/La Halle de Pont-en-Royans, Lyon
“Refuge”, Sapieha Palace, Vilnius

2023
“Shinings”, Pamėnkalnis Gallery, Vilnius

2022
“Sheets and Splashes”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
“Time of Changes”, Centre for Civil Education, Vilnius

2020
“Vilnius Documentary Film Festival”, Skalvija, Vilnius
“In Pursuit of Paris: The Stories of VAA Residency Cité internationale des arts”, V. Kasiulis Art Museum, Vilnius
“The Cave & The Garden”, Futura, Prague
“Prototyping Futures”, Nordic Summer University Symposium, Difrakt, Berlin

2019
“TT”, Atletika Art Space, Vilnius
“The Sweet Sweat of the Future”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
“New Display of Lithuanian Art”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
“Blood and Soil: Dark Arts for Dark Times”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
“Technologies and Creativity”, Nordic Summer University Symposium, Nida Art Colony, Nida

2018–19
“Waiting for Another Coming”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius; Zamek Ujazdowski, Warsaw

2018
“There and Back Again – Contemporary Art from the Baltic Sea Region”, Kiasma, Helsinki
“Technologies and Improvisation: Tools and Theories for Uncertain Futures”, Nordic Summer University Symposium, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

2017
“A Temporary Futures Institute”, M HKA, Antwerp
“Five Proposals for the Memorial of Lukiškės Square”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2016
“Contemporary Lithuanian Art from Collection of Lithuanian Art Museum”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
“Scenes”, A. Mončys House-Museum, Palanga, Lithuania

2015
“Threads: A Fantasmagoria about Distance”, 10th Kaunas Biennial, Central Post Office, Kaunas

2013
“Part of a Larger Whole. Lithuanian Contemporary Art”, 12 Star Gallery, London; Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2012
“Reality Bites”, Kiasma, Helsinki
“Atsitiktinai, Baltazarai”, Modern Art Center, Vilnius

2011
“Behind the White Curtain”, Lithuanian pavilion at the 54 Venice Biennale, Venice
“Snapshots of Tourism”, Tromsø Kunstforening, Tromsø, Norway
“Atsitiktinai, Baltazarai„, KCCC Exhibition hall, Klaipėda, Lithuania

2010
“Lithuanian Art 2000–2010: Ten Years”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
“Snapshots of Tourism”, HIAP Exhibition Space, Helsinki
“Lost & Found”, CAC Vilnius, Theater Anatomicum, Amsterdam

2009
“DABAR!/NOW!”, Arsenal Gallery, Bialystok, Poland
“Vilnius Art Scene after 2000”, Arsenal, Riga

2008
“Manifesta 7”, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy
“Eurasia: Geographic Crossovers in Art”, Mart Rovereto, Rovereto, Italy
“The Continental Unconscious: Contemporary Art and the Finno-Ugrian World”, Kumu, Tallinn

2007
“Vilnius Is Burning”, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy
“Sommerfrische”, kunst:raum sylt quelle, Rantum, Germany

2006
“Lithuania–Between”, Photography House, Stockholm

2005
“Public Act”, Lunds konsthall, Lund, Sweden
“Pirmyn”, Antje Wachs Gallery, Berlin

2004–05
“E-flux Video Rental”, E-flux office, New York

2004
“The Violence of Tone”, W139, Amsterdam
“Manifesta 5”, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain2004 “Others are Me”, Bunkier Sztuki Gallery, Kraków, Poland
“re:source” (performances), Art in General, New York
“Instant Europe”, Villa Manin Contemporary Art Centre, Italy

2003
“Parallel Progressions”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2002
“Centre of Attraction, 8th Baltic Triennial of International Art”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

2001
“ARS 01”, Kiasma, Helsinki
“Self-Esteem, Lithuanian Art 01”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
“World Wide Video Festival”, Amsterdam

1999
“Lithuanian Art 1989–1999: The Ten Years”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

1998
“After Painting”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius

1996
“Personal Time”, Zachęta Gallery of Contemporary Art, Warsaw

1995
“Art in Lithuania 95”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius
“For Beauty”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilniu