P A K U I H A R D W A R E

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• PUBLICATIONS
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• SELECTED SOLO PROJECTS:
• Spores, Performa Biennial, New York
• Spores. Mushroom picking with a therapist, NOA
• Thresholds, Zacheta, Warsaw
• Lithuanian Pavilion at The 60th Venice Biennale
• The Burn, Carlier | Gebauer, Madrid
• The Host, Eastcontemporary, Milan
• Breed, ArtBasel Parcours at Novartis Campus
• Virtual Care, BALTIC, U.K.
• Underbelly, MdbK Leipzig, Germany
• Thrivers, Polansky Gallery, Prague
• Extrakorporal, Bielefelder Kunstverein
• The Return of Sweetness (Tenderpixel, London)
• Hesitant Hand (National Gallery of Art, Vilnius)
• Vanilla Eyes (MUMOK, Vienna)

• SELECTED GROUP SHOWS:
• Biennale Gherdeina 7 curated by Adam Budak
• Permafrost. Forms of Disaster, MO.CO. Panacée
• The Seventh Continent, 16th Istanbul Biennial
• Low Form, MAXXI Museum, Rome
• Baltic Triennale 13, CAC Vilnius
• Solar Bodies, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
• Ungestalt, Kunsthalle Basel

Spores, Performa Biennial, New York, 2025

Reviews:

Sanna Almajedi on Performa 2025, e-flux

Performa 2025: Shifting Grounds by Marilena Borriello, Flash Art Magazine, 2025

Performa Biennial, NYC by Caroline Ferreira, Zerodeux Magazine, 2025

Spores music performance explores mental health and artificial intelligence through the structure of a classical Greek drama, examining themes of belonging and alienation in this new sound and sculptural commission.

The performance addresses contemporary mental health concerns through a live therapy session between a vocalist protagonist and an AI therapist. The libretto navigates an interior landscape of human emotions, reflecting on our increasingly isolated world, where technology both enhances well-being and mediates—or at times distorts—our relationships with one another, with society, and with the natural environment.

Pakui Hardware weaves these urgent questions into a visually striking sculptural and light installation, culminating in a kaleidoscopic performance experience. A new electronica composition by Misa Skalskis accompanies the work, alongside a community choir guided by Vaidas Bartusas, whose ritualistic vocal techniques and rigorous harmonic methods embody a collective voice. Together, these elements invite audiences to reflect on the entanglements of technology, society, and emotional well-being.

https://performa2025.org/artists/pakui-hardware

CREDITS

Co-commissioned and co-produced by Operomanjia Vilnius; co-produced by Rupert (Vilnius). Developed with residency support from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Curated by Job Piston, Curator-at-Large. Produced by Adrienne Swan.

SUPPORTERS

Co-commissioned and co-produced by Operomanjia Vilnius and presented as part of the Lithuanian Pavilion Without Walls for Performa 2025 organized in collaboration with the Lithuanian Culture Institute.

PRODUCTION

Misha Skalskis - Composer and Performer
Andrius Katinas - Choreographer
Vaidas Bartusas - Curator of Vocal Practices
Justina Mykolaityte - Songs Co-Writer & Performer
Morta Nakaite - Costume Designer and Stylist
Sigita Simona Paplauskaite - Architect
Julius Kursys - Lighting Designer
Vaclovas Nevcesauskas - Video Animation

PERFORMA TEAM

Job Piston - Curator-at-Large
Adrienne Swan - Associate Producer