The Angel of Rebirth

Unveiled on 1 April 2002 at the independence day celebrations of the Republic of Užupis, the sculpture became a symbol of Užupis’ revival. According to the artist, ‘When the animator and cartoonist Zenonas Šteinys passed away, I discussed the need to build an angel in his memory with Romas Lileikis, the president of the Užupis Republic. Romas suggested putting it in Užupis. That’s how the idea came about. Within a month, I drew a sketch and sculpted it, and then we started coordinating everything. The idea appealed to people because the sculpture wasn’t Lenin or Landsbergis, but simply a winged creature carrying a message.’ The sculptor Romas Vilčiauskas (b. 1966) said that he initially sculpted one of the seven angels of the Apocalypse, but was unable to cast it. Then the idea came up to make a sculpture of the Angel of Rebirth, but there was not enough money to realise it. A solution was found when he decided to make small-scale versions of the sculpture, and the money he collected for them allowed for the construction of The Angel of Rebirth in Užupis. He has thus played a key role in forming the symbol of Užupis. Unlike the large version of the sculpture, the wings of the trumpet-blowing angel are longer, emphasising the movement, and giving the impression that the angel is flying forward.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025

Unveiled on 1 April 2002 at the independence day celebrations of the Republic of Užupis, the sculpture became a symbol of Užupis’ revival. According to the artist, ‘When the animator and cartoonist Zenonas Šteinys passed away, I discussed the need to build an angel in his memory with Romas Lileikis, the president of the Užupis Republic. Romas suggested putting it in Užupis. That’s how the idea came about. Within a month, I drew a sketch and sculpted it, and then we started coordinating everything. The idea appealed to people because the sculpture wasn’t Lenin or Landsbergis, but simply a winged creature carrying a message.’ The sculptor Romas Vilčiauskas (b. 1966) said that he initially sculpted one of the seven angels of the Apocalypse, but was unable to cast it. Then the idea came up to make a sculpture of the Angel of Rebirth, but there was not enough money to realise it. A solution was found when he decided to make small-scale versions of the sculpture, and the money he collected for them allowed for the construction of The Angel of Rebirth in Užupis. He has thus played a key role in forming the symbol of Užupis. Unlike the large version of the sculpture, the wings of the trumpet-blowing angel are longer, emphasising the movement, and giving the impression that the angel is flying forward.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© LATGA, Vilnius 2025