Dr. Gediminas Urbonas

Associate Professor

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Biography

Gediminas Urbonas is an artist, activist, educator, and co-founder of Urbonas Studio, an interdisciplinary research practice dedicated to facilitating the exchange of diverse nodes of knowledge production and artistic practice. He pursues projects that transform civic spaces and collective imaginaries. His collaborations with experts across cultural and professional fields focus on developing practice-based research models that merge materials, techniques, urbanism, new media, social science, and ecology. Urbonas has gained an international reputation for his socially engaged interdisciplinary practice, exploring the conflicts and contradictions posed by economic, social, and political conditions in contexts undergoing transformation. His work invites public interaction and engagement, evoking local communities while fostering cultural and political imagination. He has exhibited globally in locations such as São Paulo, Berlin, and the Venice Biennale. His efforts have been recognized with high-level grants and awards, including the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts and the Prize for the National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Urbonas has also authored influential writings and co-edited volumes that examine the complex interrelations of public space and art, grounding his work in addressing social and political crises. He has held full-time teaching positions at various prestigious institutions, contributing to the discourse on art and architecture.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Cambridge, MA

Teaching and conducting research in the Department of Architecture.

Visiting Professor

— Present

Central Academy of Fine Arts • Beijing, China

Engaged in interdisciplinary teaching and research.

Faculty Member

— Present

Norwegian University of Science and Technology • Norway

Full-time teaching position focusing on art and architecture.

Awards

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Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts

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International Artist Prize

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Silver Medal for Contributions to Liberal Arts Education