The Reality Behind the Sparkle: A Tenant's Story

From broken promises and faulty apartment conditions to violent confrontations, this is the reality behind the artist whose work you may admire, but whose practices you should reconsider supporting.

The video captures Zilvinas Marcisauskas, brother of Eglė Fišienė, violently attacking me, an immigrant who fled to Lithuania to escape political persecution in Belarus. Zilvinas, using his position as a local Lithuanian, took advantage of my vulnerable situation as a refugee, someone without the same rights and security as citizens.

During the attack, he destroyed a plate that held deep sentimental value to me. This was not just any item — it was a handmade piece from my family's village in Liubcha, a unique creation that cannot be replaced, a small connection to my homeland, which I am unable to return to due to my political exile. Zilvinas' actions were not only aggressive but deeply symbolic, as he shattered one of the few remaining links I have to my roots, exploiting the power imbalance between us.

In April 2023, I signed a rental agreement with Eglė Fišienė, a Lithuanian glass and jewelry artist, to rent her apartment at Šiaulių gatvė 3 - 8, 01133, Vilnius. From the very beginning, Eglė made it clear that she wanted to avoid paying taxes, insisting that all rental payments be made in cash. Every month, her brother, Zilvinas Marcisauskas, would come by to collect the money, part of a deliberate effort to evade their tax obligations to the Lithuanian government.

As time passed, new neighbors moved into the apartment below and began complaining to Eglė about minor noise — normal footfalls caused by walking on the creaky, poorly isolated floors. Their complaints escalated simply because I occasionally had friends over for tea or offered overnight accommodation to those who had just endured long journeys from Belarus. Despite living in a spacious 3+ room apartment, these minor disturbances became their main concern.

On 6th September, Zilvinas arrived to collect the rent and "have a talk." However, instead of a civil conversation, he immediately launched into an aggressive tirade, calling my friends "a gang" and insisting that their visits were unacceptable. In response, I calmly suggested that I move out in an agreed timeframe, such as by the end of September, to give me time to find another place.

Zilvinas refused this reasonable solution. Instead, he erupted, shouting, "No, you're leaving NOW!" and began violently throwing my belongings out of the apartment.

After the incident, I called the police. However, when the officers arrived, it was clear they were biased against me as an immigrant and sided with Zilvinas, despite the fact that I was the victim in this situation. Even though it was Zilvinas who acted violently, the police showed little concern for my rights or wellbeing.

After the police left, Zilvinas and I agreed that I would move out the following morning, which I did. Despite leaving peacefully, I waited over a month for the return of my deposit, but it was never refunded.

In this video, Zilvinas references Lukashenko, the illegitimate ruler of Belarus, whose regime forced me, along with hundreds of thousands of other Belarusians, to flee the country.

Zilvinas clearly uses this to imply that, as a refugee in Lithuania—a country that granted me humanitarian residency—I have no rights, and that he can treat me however he pleases.