Who Wants Category U? is Ozarinskas’s response – expressed in the form of an exhibition/artistic action – to new regulations governing the architectural profession that were being introduced in Lithuania at the time. Under these rules, only specialists who had obtained a specific ‘category’ were permitted to engage in building design. For Ozarinskas, who was not fond of the contemporary architectural nomenclature responsible for assigning such categories, this represented a severe restriction on his professional prospects.

– Virginija Januškevičiūtė

Who Wants Category U? is Ozarinskas’s invitation for architects to ‘register’ themselves by having their photographs taken with an ear tag that indicates their Architects‘ Union registration code. Such tags were used in agriculture for marking cattle; each tag begins with the Russian letter ‘U’. 

‘Category U is a politically motivated concept that remains relevant to this day. Because I remain an uncertified architect today, and I may never get certified if you keep reminding everyone about that project,’ said Ozarinskas to the art critic Erika Grigoravičienė. 

– Virginija Januškevičiūtė, ‘Artistic Actions: The Fight Club’, in Architect without Architecture? A Retrospective of Valdas Ozarinskas: exhibition guide, ed.: Virginija Januškevičiūtė, Vilnius: Contemporary Art Centre, 2018, p. 20.

For those wishing to obtain Category U. Regular LAS members’ meeting. Part of the agenda: assignment of Category U. Chair of the Category U assignment Valdas Ozarinskas (New School of Communication). 27 May, 5:00 pm, Arka Gallery. Attendance is mandatory.

– annotation/flyer