Gintaras Karosas (25 June 1968 in Kryziokai,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

district) is an artist who founded

Europos Parkas Europos Parkas (the "Park of Europe") is a 50-hectare open-air museum located 17 km from Vilnius, Lithuania. The museum gives an artistic significance to the geographic centre of the European continent (as determined by the French National ...

and designed its landscape. Karosas organized several exhibitions of his graphic works as a secondary school student. After graduating from the

Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts The Vilnius Academy of Arts ( lt, Vilniaus dailės akademija, previously ''State Art Institute of Lithuania'') in Vilnius, Lithuania, grants a variety of degrees in the arts. History The Academy traces its roots back to the creation of the Arc ...

with a degree in sculpting, he studied at museums in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. His work on Europas Parkas began when he was nineteen - he located a wooded site outside of Vilnius that he felt would be suitable for a sculpture park and began clearing its overgrowth. He placed its first sculpture, ''Symbol of Europos Parkas'', in 1991. Five other Karosas sculptures have since been placed in the park: ''Monument of the Centre of Europe'', ''For Your Convenience'', ''LNK Infotree'', ''The Place'', and ''Foundations / Window.'' He also designed its educational center, which features a grass roof. In 1995 ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' included Karosas in its list of twenty young people who had brought about important changes in Eastern and Central Europe. He received a

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

statuette from the City of Vilnius in 2001 and a National Cultural Award of Advancement in 2006. In 2017 Karosas suggested introducing a stronger form of lithuanisation of Poles (which he calls ''polonised Lithuanians'') inhabiting the Vilnius region and claiming the Polish city of

Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki i ...

for the Republic of Lithuania.Litewski polityk domaga się przyłączenia Suwałk do Litwy
magnapolonia.org, 04/09/2017.

References

. 20th-century Lithuanian sculptors 20th-century male artists Modern sculptors Living people 1968 births Artists from Vilnius Vilnius Academy of Arts alumni 21st-century Lithuanian sculptors 21st-century male artists Male sculptors {{Lithuania-sculptor-stub