Arūnas Gelūnas was born in Kaunas on December 13, 1968. He studied at Kaunas J.Jablonskis Secondary School from 1975 to 1986, at Vilnius Art Academy, Department of Graphics in 1988-1994, where he obtained the specialty of a graphic (Master’s degree). He studied at Tokyo National Art and Music University (Tokyo Geijutsu Daigaku), Department of Japanese Painting in 1995-1997. In 1997-2001 he was a doctor student at Vytautas Magnus University (Doctor of philosophy: the defended PhD dissertation “The Emergence of the New Paradigm of Order in Nishida and Merleau-Ponty Philosophy”).
In 1997-2004 A.Gelūnas worked as a lecturer of Kaunas Art Institute of VAA, in 2001-2002 – an assistant of the Philosophy Department of VMU, in 2002-2003 – the pro-dean of Kaunas Art Faculty, in 2003-2004 – the dean of VAA Kaunas Art Faculty, from 2004 – the pro-rector of studies of VAA, from 2005 and 2007 he is a docent of the Art History and Theory Department and Graphics Department of VAA.
He is a member of the Lithuanian National Bologna process (chairman in 2004-2008), member of the European Japanese Studies Association (EAJS), member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Union, member of the Lithuanian Philosophers' Union, member of the editors’ group of the magazine Acta Orientalia Vilnensia.
Arūnas Gelūnas is an organiser of international scientific conferences (2004-2005), head of prepared doctor’s theses (from 2005), member of Theses Defence Councils (VMU, VAA, VU, from 2005), chairman of the Studies’ Quality Evaluation Centre, Committee of Appeals (from 2006), Chairman of Masters’ theses evaluation committee of Latvian Art Academy (2006-2007).
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One-man exhibitions
1997 – “Painting-Graphics-Pictures”, Gallery Shimizu, Tokyo, Japan.
1997 – “Movement of Woman”, Kaunas Exhibition Centre, Kaunas.
1997 – Graphics, “Exhibitions of winners of the third international triennial of graphics of small format Chamalieres 94”, Royat city mayor’s office, France.
1998 – “Movement of Woman”, gallery Laiptai, Šiauliai.
1998 – “Etchings”, gallery of the company Drauda, Kaunas.
1998 – “Movement of Woman”, Klaipėda Exhibition House, Klaipėda.
1999 – Calligraphy and copies of classical Japanese painting in ink, Eglė's gallery, Kaunas.
1999 – Painting in ink, French Institute, Leipzig, Germany.
2000 – “Big and Small Graphics”, Eglė’s gallery, Kaunas.
2000 – Exhibition of Žibuntas Mikšys (France) works on paper, Eglė’s gallery, Kaunas (curator).
2003 – “Dotted Territories”, ARTeritorija, Kaunas.
2003 – “Dotted Territories II”, Rūtos gallery, Vilnius.
2005 – “Spoken Influences”, educational exhibition – project, gallery Akademija, Vilnius.
2005 – “Spoken Influences”, Graphics gallery, Kaunas.
2007 – “Arūnas Gelūnas: Graphics”, gallery Rogatka, Radom, Poland.
Major group exhibitions
1996 – Exhibition of graphics “Saga”, Paris, France.
1996 – International exhibition of the small graphics “Nagoya 96”, Nagoya, Japan.
1997 – “Tree of Pearls”, exhibition of painting in Japanese style, gallery Bellini, Jokohama, Japan.
1998 – Lithuanian art days, Brussels, Belgium.
1998 – “Metal-History”, exhibition of engraving, gallery Arka, Vilnius.
1998 – “9+9”, exhibition of Lithuanian artists, Aachen, Germany.
1999 – “Three Graphics: R.Kepežinskas, R.Rimkūnas, A.Gelūnas”, Kaunas Picture Gallery.
1999 – “Graphics from Lithuania”, centre of culture Das Glashaus, Derneburg, Germany.
2000 – Exhibition of graphics – international prize winners, gallery Kairė-Dešinė, Vilnius.
2000 – “Tradition and Future”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius.
2000 – Krakow biennial of graphics, gallery of prize winners of world exhibitions, Katowice, Poland.
2000 – Kaliningrad triennial of graphics, Kaliningrad Art Gallery, Russia.
2000 – “On the Way to Meikle Segie”, exhibition dedicated to the concept of “The Seven”, Kaunas Picture Gallery.
2001 – “Tradition Today”, Väsby Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden.
2001 – Tallinn triennial of graphics, Tallinn, Estonia.
2002 – “K.Grigaliūnas, A.Gelūnas, A.Rakauskaitė, O.Morkūnaitė”, Polish Institute of Culture, Stockholm, Sweden.
2001 – “Terra Grafica”, Galleri Infra, Stockholm, Sweden.
2004 – “Portrait of the 21st Century”, gallery Vartai, Vilnius.
2004 – “Restoration of Memory”, gallery Vartai, Vilnius.
2004 – “FRIENDSHIP III”, international exhibition of contemporary art, Edsviks Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden.
2004 – “10 Lithuanian Artists”, Art Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden.
2004 – “ANDRUM”, international exhibition of contemporary art, Uppsala cathedral basilica, Uppsala, Sweden.
2005 – “ANDRUM”, international exhibition of contemporary art, Schwerin cathedral basilica, Schwerin, Germany.
2008 – “Philosopher’s Look. Šliogeris, Dagys, Gelūnas: Photography and Graphics”, Lithuanian photography gallery, Vilnius.
Awards, stipends
1994 – Prize of Clermont-Ferrand city at the third international triennial of small engravings “Chamalieres 94", France.
1995 – Stipend of the Japanese government (Mombush) for studies in Japan.
1997 – Diploma in the fourth international triennial of small engravings “Chamalieres 97”, France.
2001 – Museum prize, Tokyo international biennial of small engravings 2001, Japan.
2005 – Individual state stipend for art and culture creators.
2007 – Diploma for the design of Julius Kelera book “Snow, Tramp, Falling”, contest of book art “Vilnius 2007”.
Publications
“Alternatyvi modernybė ir jos strategijos” (“Alternative Modernity and its Strategies”). – Problemos No. 58. – Vilnius University Publishers, 2000, p.23-34.
“Išmokti žiūrėti: Zen tapybos suvokimo fenomenologijos etiudas” (“Learning to See: Zen painting”). – Acta Orientalia Vilnensia No. 1. – Vilnius University Publishers, 2000.
“Tvarka ir laisvė: kopijavimas kaip kultūros perdavimo paradigma” (“Order and freedom: copying as paradigm of culture transfer”). – Baltos lankos No.13, Vilnius, 2001.
“Sąvokos atvertis Kitaro Nishidos filosofijoje: subjekto ir objekto perskyros svarstymai” (“Revealing of Concept in Kitar Nishida Philosophy: considerations on the difference between subject and object”). – Darbai ir dienos No. 27, VMU publishers, 2001, p. 231-246.
“Percepcijos tvarka: kryžkelė „mokslas-gyvenimas-menas.” (“Perception order: crossroads science-life-art”)- Žmogus ir žodis, Vilnius Pedagogical University Publishers, 2002.
“(Ne)priklausomybė: architektų ir sodininkų simpoziumas geltoname ūke” (“(In)dependence: Symposium of Architects and Gardeners in Yellow Mist”) // Baltos lankos, No. 15-16, Vilnius, 2003.
“Pure Experience and Order in the Early Philosophy of Nishida Kitaro” // Acta Orientalia Vilnensia, No.2, 2002.
“Making Art in the Japanese Way: Nihonga as a Process and Symbolic Action” // Acta Orientalia Vilnensia, No.5 (Vilnius, ISSN 1648-2662, Vilnius University Publishers, 2004) p. 208-219
“The New Paradigm of Order: From the Comparisons of Nishida Kitarô and Maurice Merleau-Ponty to the Search for Strategies for Lithuanian Philosophy”, Contemporary Philosophical Discourse in Lithuania. Lithuanian Philosophical Studies, IV, red. Jūratė Baranova. Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change, Series IVA, Central And Eastern Europe, volume 26, ISBN 1-56518-215-4 (Washington D.C.: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2005) p. 193-219
“Vieno konflikto istorija” (“Story of One Conflict”, analysis of historical-methodological dynamics of relation of philosophy and art), Darbai ir dienos Nr.41, ISSN 1392-0588 (Kaunas: VMU Publishers, 2005) p.57-66
“Artist‘s Books at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts”, Grapheion 18 Yearbook, ISSN 1211-6904, (Prague: Central European Gallery and Publishing House, 2005) p.162-164
“Art After Metaphysics: is the „Return of the Sacred“ possible?”, Decalogue and Barbarity: Sacred and the Cultural Space, ISBN 9955-9791-2-72005 (Stockholm: Vardö Seminar Foundation, 2006) p. 54-64
Art Studies: Between Method and Fancy, Acta Academia Artium Vilnensis 42, ISBN 9955-624-72-8: Vilnius: Vilnius Art Academy Publishers, 2006; 215 p. (Editor and compiler)
“Medijos, menas ir juslinis patyrimas“ (“Media, Art and Sensual Experience”), Acta Academia Artium Vilnensis 44, ISBN 978-9955-624-81-3: Vilnius: Vilnius Art Academy Publishers, 2007; p. 11-37
“Japanese Studies – Between Pragmatism and Self-Discovery“, Beyond Borders: Japanese Studies in the 21st Century (in memoriam Wieslaw Kotanski), Proceedings of International Conference Warsaw, May 2006, ISBN 978-83-906175-6-5, ed. Agnieszka Kozyra and Iwona Kordzinska-Nawrocka, Warszawa: Warsaw University, Oriental Institute, 2007. p. 50-53
“Art, Philosophy and the Spirit of Objectivity“, Art Monitor. A Journal of Artistic Research, No. 3, University of Gothenburg, 2008. ISBN 9789197591195. p.37-51
In 1998-2008 A.Gelūnas read more than 40 reports in international and national conferences.
