Baltic Lines was an artistic research network exploring the Rail Baltica railway infrastructure megaproject, which aims to integrate the Baltic States into the European rail network, as a lens to question the concept of the Baltic region within Northern Europe's constellations. The project involved ten artists–researchers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, who will focus on themes such as the concept of the Baltic region, archiving as a political practice, and documenting megaprojects.

In 2017, the United Nations officially classified all three Baltic States as Northern European countries, marking an important stepping stone in the transition from belonging to Eastern Europe. With an underwater tunnel connecting Tallinn and Helsinki in the north and a southern rail crossing through Warsaw, Rail Baltica, as an essential infrastructure link between Northern and Central Europe, forms a complex framework for artistic exploration, reflecting on the region’s integration into the fabric of European identity and mobility. The Baltic Lines project seeks to consider the Baltic States in the context of Northern Europe, viewing the Rail Baltica infrastructure as a metaphorical research prism to delve into the social, cultural, historical, and geopolitical dimensions. These approaches will also be linked to critical pedagogy, inviting participants to actively shape and share the research process and its results.

The project commenced with Baltic Lines Talks #1, held on January 31 at the ISSP Gallery in Riga. This public event included a sequence of lectures and discussions that introduced the Baltic Lines project and its participants. Attendees gained insights into the ongoing research and methodologies of two Baltic Lines contributors, Mattias Malk and Gustavs Grasis. Following the presentations, there was a guided walk and site visits connected to the discussed research and exploring the transformations associated with Rail Baltica in the city. In June 2024, Baltic Lines was organizing an artist-researcher residency at the VARES Architecture Residency in Valga. In October, the exhibition, accompanied by a series of collateral events, opened at the In The Closet Gallery in Vilnius. 

Project lead and production: gel office (Diāna Mikāne and Paula Veidenbauma)

Artists–researchers: Mattias Malk (Estonia), Eglė Šimėnaitė (Lithuania), Valtteri Alanen (Finland), Sofie Lucia Maria Carlson (Sweden), Katariin Mudist (Estonia), Kamilė Vasiliauskaitė (Lithuania), Aistė Gaidilionytė (Lithuania), Danute Līva (Latvia), Gustavs Grasis (Latvia), Diāna Mikāne (Latvia), Paula Veidenbauma (Latvia) 

Partners: ISSP, VARES, InTheCloset.

The Baltic Lines project was funded by Nordic Culture Point.