Silence After the Excess of Images: Tomas Lagūnavičius and Suspended Perception at the Venice Arsenale”

On May 10, 2026, at 10 a.m., in the Arsenale space of the Venice Biennale, Tomas Lagūnavičius presented the performance “Stop and experience. Experience? What?” — a work that functioned not as a declaration, but as a mechanism for slowing perception itself. It was neither a political gesture in the traditional sense nor performative activism, but rather an almost ascetic intervention into the very mode of seeing.

The architecture of the Arsenale — long industrial corridors, monotonous movement, sensory overload, physical exhaustion — became not merely a background, but an inseparable material of the work itself. It was precisely within this context that Tomas Lagūnavičius’ performance gained conceptual weight: it did not compete with the visual noise of the Biennale, but instead suspended it. The work existed as a pause within the system, as an almost invisible disruption in the economy of art consumption.

White words printed on a black T-shirt: “Stop and experience. Experience? What?” This phrase did not function as an instruction. It acted as a phenomenological trap. Text in itself is not yet conceptual art; it becomes such only when duration, silence, bodily posture, spatial tension, and an unanswered question are integrated. The most crucial part of the piece was not the imperative "stop," but the second part of the phrase: “Experience? What?” This ambiguity became the primary driving force of the work.

During the performance, the artist would approach the artworks and look at them as if trying to understand the author's intention. However, this looking was not theatrical or staged; it did not invite dialogue, and the artist did not emphasize himself as a performer. His body did not exist as a spectacle — rather, it functioned as a form of slow presence. Amidst the constantly moving visitors, he appeared almost accidental: perhaps an employee, perhaps a tired spectator, or perhaps simply a person who had stopped for too long.

And that is precisely why the performance became so impactful.

Today's biennial visitor often becomes a consumer: they take photos, rush, move from one pavilion to another, accumulating images without having the time to actually experience them. In this regime of continuous circulation, Tomas Lagūnavičius's work demanded awareness rather than attention. It forced one to feel not the art object, but one’s own presence within the art space. Suddenly, a sense of unease, heavy silence, fatigue, and emotional numbness would set in. Therefore, "experience" here did not mean "experience the artwork," but "experience yourself within this context."

Conceptually, the strongest attribute of the work was its refusal to present a clear stance. The performance did not accuse, agitate, or offer a moral conclusion. It left a void that the viewer was forced to fill themselves — with guilt, indifference, fatigue, cynicism, the inflation of images, or the absurdity of institutional art. In this way, the piece exposed not a specific event, but the crisis of perception itself.

This is particularly significant within the context of the Arsenale. In this space, there is no proactive action or aggressive self-representation. What resonates most strongly is slowness, an almost invisible gesture, the body's relationship with architecture, repetition, and silence. Tomas Lagūnavičius's performance subtly exploited this logic: instead of trying to break through the noise of the Biennial, it revealed itself as its very antithesis.

At first, people simply walked past. Only a moment later did they read the text. Then they turned back. They began observing not the performer, but their own reaction. This delayed realization was the true moment of the performance.

Therefore, “Stop and experience. Experience? What?” may be understood as a work about the exhaustion of contemporary seeing. About the consumption of art in an era of information overload and emotional fatigue. About a situation in which people constantly see, yet almost no longer experience anything.

And it is precisely at that moment that these two words — “Stop and experience...” — cease to be mere text. They begin to function physically.

About the artist:

ARTIST NO. 1:

• Most paintings in museums and galleries around the world

• Most paintings created in the world

• Founder of the first generative art gallery-museum in the Baltic States

Tomas Lagūnavičius is a renowned multidisciplinary and mixed media artist living in Kaunas, Lithuania, whose work encompasses both visual and performing arts. In 2025, he was officially recognized as the world record holder for the number of paintings created (6,264 works) and the number of works inventoried in museums and public galleries (5,522 works). His creative journey began in 2013 when his first painting was accepted into the South Korean Art Museum. Since then, the artist has been constantly creating, participating in international exhibitions and biennials, and actively involved in the art world. Throughout his impressive career, he has held more than 40 solo exhibitions and over 50 performances, revealing his multifaceted talents and dynamic approach to art. Participation in international exhibitions and biennials, such as the prestigious 13th Florence Biennale in Italy (2021) and the Earth Art Exhibition "Balance" in Vilnius (2021), has earned him international recognition. His latest works were exhibited at the 15th annual art exhibition "Abstracts" (USA), where the artist won 5th place. He has won numerous competitions: his works won 1st and 5th place in the Spring Countdown Show competition in Toronto (Canada), 2nd place in the Fusion Art competition "Animal Kingdom" in Santa Fe (New Mexico), 3rd place in the virtual exhibition "Light of Love" in Beijing (China), and a platinum award at the exhibition "Abstracts" organized by the J Mane Gallery (New Jersey, USA). Tomas Lagūnavičius performed Dead Soldier's Dance at the Crude Saturdays festival in Brussels (Belgium) and the Contemporary Venice festival in Venice (Italy). The artist regularly exhibits his paintings in various galleries in different countries: Boomer Gallery (London, England), Artly Mix Gallery (São Paulo, Brazil), Artio Gallery (Toronto, Canada), Collect Art (CoA) Gallery (Tbilisi, Georgia), and others. Tomas Lagūnavičius is an active member of numerous art associations: the Association of Visual Artists (AVA), the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM), the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), the International Association of Visual Artists (IAVA), the National Association of Visual Artists (NAVA), Society of Directors and Choreographers (SDC), Latin American Art Association (ALAA), Visual Arts Creators Association (VVA), and Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA).