BAXT

BAXT is a long-term photography project by Andrew Miksys, documenting the lives of the Lithuanian Roma. Beginning in 1999 during a Fulbright fellowship, Miksys sought to explore the fate of the Roma as Lithuania transitioned from Soviet rule to EU membership—a time when Roma culture was largely excluded from national identity. The project captures the erasure of the Roma neighborhood Taboras in Vilnius, which was demolished by authorities by 2020. Miksys photographed homes before their destruction and collected stories from residents, later incorporating materials from these sites into sculptural installations. In 2018, a planned BAXT exhibition at the Lithuanian National Library was canceled after Miksys referenced the Roma Genocide, prompting a legal battle he ultimately lost due to his lack of formal historical credentials. Now living in Žagarė, a town where he first photographed a Roma family, Miksys continues to live the story of BAXT—a journey shaped by history, displacement, and the winding path of fate.