Gvidas Latakas

Gvidas Latakas (born 1972) is a Lithuanian visual artist and poet.

In 1995, he graduated in jewelry design from the Telšiai Higher School of Applied Arts, and in 2006, he earned a degree in painting from the Kaunas Faculty of the Vilnius Academy of Arts. He is also an educator and, since 2019, has taught painting to children and adults at the Kaunas Antanas Martinaitis School of Art.

Latakas has published the poetry collections Kol išsiris varniukai (Until the Young Crows Hatch, 2008), Nekalendoriniai šventieji (Saints Outside the Calendar, 2012), Lokenos (2015), Salos (Islands, 2022), and Gavendos (2025). His poetry is characterized by mythopoetic undertones and allusions to biblical, historical, legendary, and folkloric narratives. A distinct storyteller persona lends his poems a strong narrative quality. His language is close to everyday speech and is rich in regional dialects.

In addition to writing, Latakas creates medals, enamel miniatures, paintings, and illustrations for both his own books and those of other authors. He has participated in art exhibitions since 1997, holding 12 solo exhibitions and taking part in more than 40 group exhibitions, plein-air events, and symposia. His visual works often depict religious subjects drawn from the lives of saints, incorporate mythological symbolism, and feature poetic texts and symbolic signs within paintings and medals. His works are held in the collections of the Lithuanian National Museum, the Samogitian Alka Museum, and private collections.