Kaunas, a city in Lithuania, is set to become the European Capital of Culture 2022 and is inviting both local and foreign artists to portray its modernism architecture in unique and unexpected pieces of art.

Situated in the heart of Lithuania, has already gained international fame for a variety of quirky attractions like the Devils' Museum or the world's first invisible square. But its unique modernist interwar period architecture is what attracts visitors from all over the globe and lays the groundwork for becoming the European Capital of Culture 2022.

With roughly 6,000 modernist constructions, 44 of which carry the European Heritage Label, the city's sightseeing spots give an opportunity to deeply immerse into modernist culture. And as so many of us are eager for the travel bans to be lifted, Lithuania Travel, the country's national tourism development agency, invites us to feast the eyes on the colorful grayness of Kaunas Modernism through the worldview of Art Deco artists.

Ever since becoming the first Eastern and Central European city to win UNESCO City of Design designation in 2015, the once temporary capital of Lithuania quickly transformed into a contemporary hotbed for artists from all around the world. Finding inspiration in the unique modernist architecture, artists of all types participate in the Modernism for the Future programme, dedicated to getting the word out about Kaunas and its cultural and historical heritage.

Anyone interested in traveling through interwar Kaunas can already follow the creation of one of the most-anticipated projects—a 45-minute animation movie Heterotopia. Directed by the Irish visual artist Aideen Barry, the black-and-white stop-frame film aims at telling the interwar Kaunas story through the eyes of local communities, and calling to reimagine its value for future generations.