This season, Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius are playing their BKT EuroCup games in unique jerseys featuring fragments of four impressive murals from Vilnius’ Open Gallery space.
This decision was made as part of the "From Streets to Court" concept, which aims to bring street culture into sports arenas. Three local artists, Linas Kaziulionis, Agnė Juršytė, and Martynas Ivinskas, contributed to the project.
The work of Martynas Ivinskas, titled "Citizen", reflects Lithuania’s fight for freedom, the nation’s progress, and the courage of its people to resist their enemies. Details from this piece are featured on the jerseys of Andrew Andrews, Daniel Baslyk, and Marek Blaževič.
“I believe that any continuity, any synthesis between business and art or sports and art, is very welcome and commendable. I would say the more, the better. This is how it should be, and that’s how things work. In business, they often rely on spreadsheets, and it’s hard to see the value of art in that context. So, while I wish there was more, I’m happy with what we have now. Both abroad and in Lithuania, we see more and more examples of how business is turning to art and understanding its value,” explained M. Ivinskas, speaking about the importance of finding dialogue between business, sports, and art.
The artist shared that the idea for his work came during a visit to Los Angeles in 2018. At that time, he and another artist held the exhibition "Duo 02/16" to commemorate the centenary of the Republic of Lithuania. For this exhibition, they created eight canvases each, one of which was "Citizen," which later decorated the wall of the Open Gallery building.
According to Ivinskas, the Wolves Twinsbet team’s idea and offer to collaborate surprised him.
“You have to be somewhere, be seen, and be involved. So, of course, it’s great when you’re invited, shown, and featured somewhere. It was very unexpected. I would have never thought something like this could happen. The idea itself it’s something special. It’s a great thing, very commendable, and I hope this will be a continuous project,” M. Ivinskas expressed with hope.