Biography
Meda Norbutaitė was born in 1969, Siauliai, Lithuania. She studied at Kaunas Higher School of Arts (1990) and at Šiauliai University Faculty of Arts, acquiring Master‘s Degree in the Humanities, Art Criticism, Painting, academic adviser prof. Vincentas Gečas (1998). Norbutaitė’s work explores themes such as geopolitics, gender, and freedom of expression, using symbolism and sarcasm to highlight contemporary human behavior and sensitivities. Her art encourages reflection on co-cultural values and responsible problem-solving.
Meda Norbutaitė worked as teacher at Šiauliai University Faculty of Arts; Kazimieras Simonavičius University. Since 2016, she has served as an Associate Professor of Art at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. She provided art training sessions at University of Coimbra and ESMAD P. Porto, Portugal; Leeuwarden University of Applied Arts, The Netherlands; UNIWA, Greece; University of Franche-Comté, France; UJEP, Czech Republic; University of A Coruña, Spain.
Her scholarly contributions include the publication of the student handbook Relief Textures (2026). She also co-authored, compiled, and designed Laws of Composition in Forms of Nature (2011), served as the art director for Kensaku Shioya’s photo album See through Chrysalis (2011), and co-authored the book Fashion Phenomenon. Fashion in a Creative Society with an article titled „Art Contexts in the Fashion Industry“ (2021).
Meda Norbutaitė is a member of several professional organizations, including the Lithuanian Artists’ Association (LAA), the Paris Taylor Foundation Artists’ Association (France), International Artists Association IAA and LATGA (Lithuania). She has also held positions on the LAA Painters’ Board (2016-2020 and since 2024), the Council of the LAA (2020-2024).
Among her notable curatorial projects are XVIII International Vilnius Painting Triennial (head curator of triennial and curator of Baltic states collection), her role as coordinator for Vilnius Painting at Alytus Culture Center, Lithuania (2020); co-curator of Document at Vilnius Town Hall (2018); curator of 100% Painting at the LAA Gallery Arka in Vilnius (2016); and curator of Still-Life: Contemporary Context in Tradition at the LAA Gallery Arka, Vilnius (2015).
Since 1997 has held more than 40 personal exhibitions, participated in more than 200 group exhibitions, worked with projects in Lithuania and abroad (USA, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, etc.).
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND ART FAIRS:
2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 – International Contemporary Art Exhibition NORDART, Germany
2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 – Contemporary Art Fair ART VILNIUS, Lithuania
2024 – Exhibition ‘Apparitions’, Artcité, Paris, France
2024 – International exhibition Artlab, Benjamin Eck Projects, Munich, Germany
2024 – Personal exhibition Clownery, (curator Dr.Evelina Januškaitė), Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2023 – 7th Zagreb Biennial of Painting, Mestrovic Pavilion, Croatia
2023 – Exhibition Man and Woman, Estonia National Museum, Tartu
2023 – Exhibition Being and Becoming, The Yard: Lincoln Square, New York City, New York, USA
2022 – Personal exhibition Thing. Body. Animal, Antanas Mončys Museum, Palanga, Lithuania
2023 – VOLTA Basel Art Fair, Switzerland
2023 – 30th exhibition Rape of Europe, MONA New Art Museum, Estonia
2023 – Exhibition Iron Wolf, Espace Commines, Paris, France
2022 – Project X: EGO, Mark Rothko Art Museum, Latvia
2022 – EAL, Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London, England
2021 – Art Basel Miami Beach Art Fair SCOPE, Florida, USA
2021 – Exhibition and presentation of the art album Meda Norbutaitė, Librairie Gros Calin, Paris, France
2017, 2021 – Personal exhibitions at International art residency at Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2020 – Personal exhibition Change and presentation of the album Meda Norbutaitė, DSG gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 – Personal exhibition, DK gallery, Minsk, Belarus
2017 –Personal exhibition Implications, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2014 – Quadrianale of Contemporary Art Q14, Vilnius Bastei, Lithuania
2012 – Personal exhibition Shine, Eglise française réformée Berne, BaltArt GmbH, Bern, Switzerland
2011 – International Painting Biennial BIP Chisinau, Moldova
2011 – Art competition of Lithuanian Art Museum and M.K. Čiurlionis Gallery (Lemont, USA), Lithuanian Art Museum, Radvilos Palace, Lithuania
2010 – Presentation of Lithuanian modern painters, Lithuanian Embassy at Kramgasse, Bern, Switzerland
2010 – Exhibition A look back. Art from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (the best works from BaltArt GmbH Switzerland Fundus), Chramerhuus Gallery, Langenthal, Switzerland
2009 – Personal exhibition Games with Rubies, St. John’s Street Gallery, Vilnius
2006 – 5th International Biennial of Drawing, Museum of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czechia
2006 – Personal exhibition External-Internal Spaces, BaltArt GmbH, Langenthal, Switzerland
2004 – Personal exhibition of drawings, Wetter Gallery, Lublin, Poland
2003 – Painting exhibition-project Through the Body, Left-right Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2002 – International project Time for Tea. Lietuviškai, Vartai Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2001 – 15th International Triennial of Drawings, Rijeka Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijek, Croatia
2001 – 2th World Festival of Art on Paper, Ljubliana, Slovenia
2000 – Author’s project Signs on Paper, Šiauliai Art Gallery, Lithuania
1999 – Exhibition of Artists form Šiauliai, Nobilar Cultural Center, Etten-Leur, Holland
1998 – Exhibition of drawings, Baroti Gallery, Klaipeda, Lithuania
ARTWORKS REPRESENTED IN THE COLLECTIONS:
MO Museum of Modern Art (Lithuania); Stasys Museum (Lithuania); private collections in Lithuania, Germany, England, Austria, Italy, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Japan, USA, etc.
AWARDS, RECOGNITION:
Prix Artension Winner (Exhibition ‘Apparitions’, Artcité, Paris, France, 2024)
Finalist of competition True North, (New York City, USA, 2023)
Grand Prize Winner of the competition Exposure (See/Me art gallery, New York City, USA, 2021)
Finalist of Zabolis Art Prize (Vilnius, Lithuania, 2021)
Winner of the 8th World Samogitian Art Exhibition (The Samogitian Art Museum, Plungė, Lithuania, 2020)
The work nominated for International Painting Biennial BIP Chisinau (Constantin Brancusi Exhibition Centre, Chisinau, Moldova, 2011)
Receiver of the Swiss Baltic Net Graduate Award (Gerbert Rüf Foundation, Switzerland, 2003)
PUBLICATIONS:
Kultura Enter Cultural and social journal (Poland). The Kindom of Animals
Kultura Enter Cultural and social journal (Poland). Cartography of Body and Soul
Culture newspaper Śiaurės Atėnai 2024/04/18. What is the Mask of Meda Norbutaitė’s „Clownery“ Hiding
Culture magazine Naujoji Romuva, 2021, N R . 1 ( 614 ) 37. Body and Soul Maps by Meda Norbutaitė
Artnews.lt magazin. Meda Norbutaitė’s Personal Exhibition „Clownery“ at Gallery „Arka“
Meda Norbutaitė. Painting (2020). Compiler Antanas Andrijauskas
