The National LGBT rights organization LGL has released an exclusive photo album of the Baltic Pride 2022 festival. A large-scale photo album presents the most memorable moments of the festival. The album cover features the artwork “Pride” by the artist Nenad Mitrovič.
The publication pays special attention to the sponsors, partners and friends of the Baltic Pride 2022 festival. In the album, German Ambassador to Lithuania H. E. Matthias Sonn gives a welcome speech.Insights on the impact of the festival on Lithuanian society are shared by Ieva Dirmaitė, Chief of Staff at Vilnius City Municipality, Marianne Borgen, the Mayor of Oslo, Simona Lėverienė, head of Swedbank’s Career Center and Board Member of the Lithuanian Diversity Charter and DK Bartley, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Moody’s.
The Fifth Baltic Pride Album is a Chronicle of LGBT History in Lithuania
The organizer of the Baltic Pride festival, Vladimir Simonko, Executive Director of the National LGBT rights organization LGL, says he feels an obligation to record the most important events of LGBT history for future generations.
“I am proud that we maintain continuity and this Baltic Pride album is already the fifth chronicle of the festival. It is extremely important to commemorate every Baltic Pride festival that takes place in Vilnius, because it is a part of Lithuanian history. I am glad that we are finally starting to understand that the history of the LGBT community is part of the history of Lithuania as a whole. This Baltic Pride album will add to the LGBT archive, which the National Museum of Lithuania has already started to collect”, the Executive Director of LGL assures.
In July 2022, the National LGBT rights organization LGL transferred 23 exhibits of museum importance from the archive of the LGBT Community Center to the National Museum of Lithuania. Among the publications and paraphernalia handed over to the museum are Baltic Pride festival albums, reflecting the entire history of the festival since 2010.
“It is important to note that the Baltic Pride 2022 photo album is published in a limited collector’s edition. It will make a great gift for anyone who supports LGBT human rights. I am glad that this time the album includes the photos of four photographers who captured the moments of the festival. Augustas Didžgalvis, Gabriel Khiterer (Go Vilnius), Saulius Žiūra (Go Vilnius) and Joana Suslavičiūtė (Moody’s, Go Vilnius) all agreed to share their captured footage”, Vladimir Simonko reveals.
The Album Cover Features a Special Artwork
For the first time in the history of publishing the Baltic Pride 2022 photo album, an artwork specially created for the occasion of the festival appeared on the cover. Serbian artist Nenad Mitrovič participated in all the events of the Baltic Pride 2022 festival and felt inspired to create acrylic painting on canvas titled “Pride”, which he gladly agreed to use on the cover of the publication.
“While creating this work, I was inspired by the unity I saw during the Baltic Pride 2022 festival in Vilnius. Vilnius residents and guests of the city showed that despite our differences, we can all participate in the wonderful and peaceful march of the LGBT community. I wanted to be a part of this phenomenon and capture it. That’s why I created this piece. The painting “Pride” is an abstract flag of the LGBT community because we live in a diverse world, and rainbows are part of it,” says Nenad Mitrovič.
The artist who created the artwork for the cover of the Baltic Pride 2022 photo album is proud of it.
“I am extremely proud that my work is on the cover of this album. I hope that the publication will reach many readers and they will feel the joy that we all experienced while participating in the Baltic Pride 2022 in Vilnius”, he added.
The Publication Pictures the Success Story of the Baltic Pride 2022 Festival
According to Executive Director of LGL, the fifth Baltic Pride photo album pictures the success story of the Baltic Pride 2022 festival.
“One of the main goals of the album is to reveal to future generations how the human rights discourse was formed in Lithuania during the period of Lithuanian independence. I think this is very important, because the Baltic Pride festival contributes to strengthening of civil society and equal opportunities. I hope that all five Baltic Pride photo albums will become easily accessible books in Lithuanian libraries and universities”, says Vladimir Simonko.
The publication of the Baltic Pride 2022 photo album would not be possible without the support of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and Vilnius City Municipality. The publishers will donate part of the album circulation to Lithuanian libraries, festival sponsors, partners, and friends. The electronic version of the publication is available on the website of the National LGBT Rights organization LGL at www.lgl.lt.
Baltic Pride 2022 Photo Album, 2022
The project Baltic Pride 2022 Communication Campaign is funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The article was prepared under the framework of the project Baltic Pride 2022 Communication Campaign, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
