Playing With Life

Life can be played like chess – strategically and thoughtfully. Yet it can also be lost or won with a single roll of the dice. The exhibition “Playing  with Life” invites visitors to see art as a metaphor for human choices, risks, and fate.

It presents works by one of the most renowned Lithuanian Jewish artists, Samuel Bak, whose motifs of game are combined with the experience of survival during World War II and the decisive choices that shaped his life. A large number of the exhibited paintings on the themes of chess and dice are being shown to the public for the first time. These works complement the artist’s gift to the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History – a collection of nearly 400 pieces. 

Alongside Bak’s works, the exhibition features contemporary artists Gabriele de Santis, Patricija Jurkšaitytė, and Paulius Petraičis, with pieces from the Noewe Foundation collections, as well as works by 19th-century Vilnius painter Gotlib Kisling. The exhibition is further enriched by historical objects from the Lithuanian National Museum of Art – 19th–20th century playing cards, gaming tables, and even a 17th-century die.

According to Ieva Šadzevičienė, art historian, exhibition curator, and acting director of the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History, the theme of “Playing with Life” is especially relevant in today’s geopolitical context: “The shifting moods of world leaders determine the ‘games’ played with the destinies of nations; politicians divide spheres of influence, and unexpected circumstances shape human lives.”

More information:
The exhibition is open from October 1st, 2025 at the Samuel Bak Museum (Naugarduko St. 10, Vilnius)
Exhibition design – Moira Visuals
Partners – Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Noewe Foundation, Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden