Mindaugas Reklaitis’s single-work exhibition MORPH at gallery apiece

What would happen if a house could be rebuilt every month or every day using the same existing materials? If every new house could “learn” and become more and more suitable for its inhabitant, or the two of them shaped each other in a never-ending performance of “measurements and fitting”? Would this lead to better living environments, cities, communities?

On 2 September, the interdisciplinary exhibition MORPH by Mindaugas Reklaitis will open at apiece, a showcase gallery presenting one single autonomous artwork at a time. The main focus point and discussion theme of the exhibition is changing, adaptive and performative architecture. The exhibition aims to go beyond conventional architectural boundaries and, with the help of evolving technologies, enter new dimensions of critical architecture, a discipline that has not been widely practiced in Lithuania so far. The work on display (available 24/7 and viewed through the showcase window) is a device perpetually creating an architectural form in the space of the gallery—a robotic manipulator inviting the viewers to reflect on new possibilities for architectural practice. Using this live-creating device and a supply system of cyclic wax as a material, the author aims to subvert the usual features of architecture, such as stability or materiality, and to speculate on alternative realities of dynamic, performative and variable spatial forms.

The MORPH manipulator will shape—in real time and through cyclical processes—an ever-changing architectural object. In other words, like a living organism, the piece will become a prototype for future architectural scenarios.

At the same time, the exhibition will work as a stimulus for discussions on the future of architecture, involving architects and members of the different parties involved in architectural process. The discussions will take place on Sunday 11 September (3 PM).

Mindaugas Reklaitis is an architect and cofounder of the architecture studio Sprik. He is currently working as an exhibition architect at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius, studying for a PhD in art at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and researching performative architecture as a critical spatial practice. Besides more than ten years of experience in designing award-winning buildings in Lithuania and abroad, Reklaitis has also been involved in projects organised by various NGOs. Moreover, he has extensive experience working with Lithuanian national pavilions at the Venice Art and Architecture Biennales: in 2018, he was the project manager of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 16^th Venice Architecture Biennale; in 2019, the co-producer and architect of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 58^th Venice Art Biennale (the piece won the prestigious Golden Lion); and in 2021, the producer of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 17^th Venice Architecture Biennale.

Curators of the exhibition: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

The discussions are organised in cooperation with the Architecture Fund

Communication of the exhibition: Menų Komunikacija

Graphic design: Marek Voida

The exhibition is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.

The exhibition will be open from 02.09.2022 to 14.10.2022

The exhibition can be viewed 24/7

apiece gallery presents “The Order of The Spur: These Boots Are Made for Walking” – the artwork by Vytenis Burokas.

The layers of the drawings rest on plaster fragments stuck on a folding screen made from a metal net separated by plastic film. In these drawings, Vytenis’ alter-ego characters, living in fictional stories of the secret society “The Order of The Spur”, appear along typical-to-them iconographic motives: bodies in spurred boots, fragments of plants and animals, imaginary musical instruments.

The artwork allusion to a fresco, which in turn holds a pretension to timelessness, contrasts with temporality of the artwork materials, resembling some building construction site, as well as with the very function of a folding screen: to hide, divide, to isolate. The partial transparency of both the base (the plaster and metal net) and the content (the drawings) evokes the impression of ephemerality and the feeling of temporality.

Although the narrative is embodied in the drawings, the construction itself is more than just an underframe: it invites to follow the details, to scrutinize the materials – their characteristics, to project the tools used for the construction and gestures made by the constructor while “plastering”.

In other words, the artwork manifests itself not only as a visual image, but also as a text to be read in terms of contemporary art language; or embodies the metaphor of a rider in spurred boots, yet with no horse.

Vytenis Burokas (1990) is an artist, a curator, and a lecturer. His field of interest includes the history of arts and culture, everyday rituals, social roles, and the change of the mind-set due to progressing knowledge about our world. The author has been graduated from Vilnius Academy of Arts, obtaining a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in contemporary sculpture, as well as finishing art pedagogy studies. In 2013-2014 he also took part in an educational program at Rupertas. Works by the artist have been exhibited or performed in Lithuania and abroad.

Curators of the exhibition: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė.

Graphic Design: Marek Voida

Communication of the exhibition: Menų Komunikacija.

The exhibition is partly funded by Vilnius City Municipality.

The exhibition will be open from 19 June to 2 August 2022. The exhibition can be viewed 24/7.

Teal Griffin single-work exhibition “Bardo” at gallery “apiece”

The gallery “apiece”, dedicated to exhibiting a single work of contemporary visual art and/or conceptual design at a time, presents artwork “Bardo” by artist Teal Griffin.

“Bardo”, in Tibetan Buddhism, refers to the transitional or liminal state of existence intermediate between two lives on earth: after death and before “rebirth”. In a sense, it is similar to the transitory in-between space of limbo, if a little more hopeful. Perhaps it is an in-between place of hope and resolve, or else a  general state of uncertainty and anxiety that has been causing us concern lately, given the pandemic, the Russian war against Ukraine and looming threat of climate catastrophe. Or else it might just be the state wherein a small dog person finds itself being held in the air by a balloon.

“Bardo” is a work about the suspension of the physical condition, a grasp at the bodily experience of the lived-in moment in time, and the absurdity of the situation – no matter how big the balloon is, it will not lift into the air even the smallest dog; also, the balloon is suspended, neither going up nor down (and what goes up must come down!). This is the fixed position, a frozen moment, that is theatrically realised in the unique space of the gallery “apiece”, which reminds the artist of the various Natural History museums that he visited as a child, where objects and creatures that are no longer alive are exhibited, posing for the audience in artificial displays behind the glass partitions, encased in a constructed scene between death and rebirth.

In the gallery space, the dog figure levitating between the display windows relates to the artist’s personal experience when he was caring for his family dog, named Zen, in his old age, which became a sort of surrogate for the experience of witnessing his father going through palliative care towards the end of his battle with cancer. The space of end of life care feels outside of regular time, it feels like it has slipped between, life on pause: limbo. The constant care of a loved one, whether a parent or a family pet, became not only a part of everyday life, but also a part of his creative work. According to Teal, the experience was not only sad, knowing of the inevitable goodbye, but was also about love and care, dedication and celebration. These themes are recurrent in the artist’s work, while the juxtaposition of pathos, absurdity and humour is seen as a strategy (perhaps “heaviness” is most effectively expressed through “lightness”).

Teal Griffin – (b. 1988) is a London-born artist whose practice takes shape through a multidisciplinary process of bricolage. Working with sculpture, painting, video, text and spoken word, he makes installations that hover in the quiet pockets of listening and waiting, where the small and still become political tools. 

He completed a MA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths in 2018.

Curators of the exhibition: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

Graphic designer: Marek Voida

The exhibition is partly funded by Vilnius City Municipality.

The exhibition will be open from 08.05 – 17.06.2022

The exhibition can be viewed 24/7

More about the artist —> www.tealgriffin.com

Rūta Palionytė and Ieva Baranauskaitė’s single-work exhibition “Daydreamer” at gallery “apiece”

The gallery apiece, dedicated to exhibiting a single work of contemporary visual art and/or conceptual design at a time, presents the light object “Daydreamer” by light artist Rūta Palionytė and architect Ieva Baranauskaitė.

“Daydreamer” is a hybrid object of light art and design, visually expressing the physical properties of light and colour. Specially adapted for the “apiece” gallery, it functions as an artificial bridge between indoor and outdoor spaces, providing an opportunity to observe the movement of light: during the day – with changing natural light, and in the evening – with the help of artificial lighting.

The object consists of two biomorphic elements made of dichroic glass and quartz sand, closely related materials that represent time. Quartz sand formed over 50 million years ago due to changing weather conditions and erosion of rocks. It is the basis for the manufacture of glass, with its purpose having been gradually gaining relevance since the Roman times and given even more potential in the new age of technology. Modern dichroic glass is the result of NASA’s research in different materials and is now used in the aerospace industry as well as other fields.

Dichroic glass has special optical properties: it reflects some of the constituent colours of light and is permeable to others. It reveals a fact that we all know but cannot see: white light contains many colours. Thus, a seemingly transparent detail of the work – an element of curved glass – tints the surrounding surfaces with different colours and becomes a brush to create a painting of light.

Inspired by biomorphic shapes, “Daydreamer” pushes the boundaries of our perception of colours and shapes. For the piece, the architectural qualities of the showcase gallery become a playground, and for the viewer, an opportunity to experience the environment in a new way.

Rūta Palionytė is a Copenhagen-based light installation artist and lighting designer with a Master’s degree from the Edinburgh (Scotland). For her, the phenomenon of light and its influence on visual perception, architecture, design objects or natural landscape is one of the main creative sources. Palionytė also collaborates with artists in various fields and has implemented many international projects.

Ieva Baranauskaitė is an architect with a Master’s degree from the Royal Danish Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, and a BA obtained at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. She has gained her professional experience working in renowned architectural offices in Japan (Kengo Kuma and Associates), Denmark (KHR Architecture) and Lithuania (Arches). Currently Baranauskaitė is developing her individual practice and working on various architecture and design projects in Lithuania and Scandinavian countries.

Curators of the exhibition: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

Graphic Design: Marek Voida

The exhibition is partly funded by the LATGA Creative Activities Fund and Vilnius City Municipality.

The exhibition is sponsored by NOHRCON ApS

The exhibition will be open 27 03 2022 to 05 05 2022

The exhibition can be viewed 24/7

More about the project Daydreamer ->

https://www.instagram.com/daydreamer_light_object/

More about the artists ->

www.rutapalionyte.com

www.ib-arch.com

apiece gallery exhibiting a single contemporary visual art and/or object of conceptual design is presenting Nerijus Erminas’ work “Sacrifice”.

Nerijus Erminas’ creative strategy is to construct new works of spatial art by deconstructing various materials, shapes, objects, or their parts. The creative process of this “deconstruction in order to construct” is carried out not only formally but also conceptually, as each of Erminas’ works conveys a multifaceted narrative. On the one hand, such a narrative is associated with the continuation of the tradition of modernist assemblage (not in two-dimensional, but in three-dimensional format), on the other hand, thanks to the integrated socio-cultural context, it is a reflection of the postmodern world.

In the work “Sacrifice” presented at “apiece” gallery, various shapes and materials are placed following a principle that comes close to creating scenography, as the author is delving into connections between things, objects and elements. The parts of the work are scattered across space and do not follow the principal of integrality found in sculpture, but rather engage the viewer in a dialogue with the environment, i.e. the exposition space which becomes an integral element of the work. By creating the conditions necessary for various experiences, the artist provokes the viewer not only to observe but also to examine. Associative links that bind different elements of the work together engage the viewer in an endless spectrum of ritual meanings. As one looks at these different parts of the work while circling around the showcase-type gallery, a certain ritual is performed that is possibly only known to the artist and is based not on rites but on language of contemporary art.

Nerijus Erminas (b. 1976) is a conceptual sculptor who has been participating in exhibitions since 2003 and has been organizing solo exhibitions since 1997. He was awarded the prize for the best sculpture (“Squirrel and Wall”, presented by gallery AV17) at the 2012 contemporary art fair “ArtVilnius”.

Exhibition curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

Graphic designer: Marek Voida

The exhibition is partly funded by the LATGA Creative Activities Fund.

The exhibition: February 25^th – March 22^th, 2022.

The exhibition is open 24/7.

Exhibition “Unsent Letter” by Petras Mazūras at “apiece” gallery

“apiece”, a gallery introducing one contemporary visual art and/or conceptual design piece at a time, presents sculptor Petras Mazūras’s work “Unsent Letter”.

“Nike” (1978), “Man” (1986) or trees “grown” in stones (ongoing since 2001) are well-known works by sculptor Petras Mazūras. Not only the artist’s sculptures and installations, but also he himself has had to go through some challenges of time: the early, late Soviet period of his work focused on the figurative motif, while in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the artist practically gave up on it. According to the artist, “I was simply […] trying to explore the human senses in a different way”.

To this day, the sculptor has maintained his curiosity about the possibilities, treatments and effects of technology and different materials. Mazūras was one of the first to start casting bronze under domestic conditions, to manually grind marble and basalt, and, when conditions allowed, to try out synthetic materials, later turning to self-constructed mechanisms integrating natural objects. At the same time, the artist remained a so-called “image-maker” not promoting artificial mystery. “My works are visible to the eye, what you need to understand the meaning of them is nothing but an interest in art”, says Mazūras.

The sculptural object “Unsent Letter”, specially adapted for the “apiece” gallery, is like an unfulfilled dream unspoilt by reality. A crumpled piece of paper (a sheet of stainless steel) is what remains, nothing more. This and other similar works were begun as a series of works of different materials in 2014. Only a few versions of these “letters” have been realised and are rarely presented to the public.

Petras Mazūras (b. 1949) is a sculptor who has been exhibiting since 1976. His works are found in Lithuanian museums as well as both Lithuanian and foreign private collections.

Exhibition curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

Exhibition architect: Donatas Laucius

Graphic design: Marek Voida

The exhibition is partly funded by the LATGA Creative Activities Fund.

The exhibition will run until February 22^th 2022.

The exhibition is open 24/7.

romance & junction exhibition by Vytautas Gečas at gallery apiece

Gallery apiece, dedicated to presenting single artworks of contemporary visual art or conceptual design, presents artist Vytautas Gečas‘s work romance & junction.

Creator of original design Vytautas Gečas is interested in the subjectivity of the process and result of design creation – the limits of perception, form and function. In his research (ongoing since 2018), the designer refers to the absolute devaluation of abundant and complex decor, which emerged during the Baroque and Rococo periods, in the context of today. The artist’s latest work seeks to put the elements of decor into action and give it a new, romantic meaning as well as physical value.

The creative process of romance & junction consists of an ongoing experimentation with the construction of a knot, which becomes an element that connects the structure of the piece of furniture/object into a single functional narrative. In the course of these practical experiments with contemporary materials and technologies, the knot, in turn, becomes an element that connects different styles and periods. With a playful, ingenious approach, all this is embodied in an eclectic piece of conceptual design as an interior accessory.

Vytautas Gečas (b. 1987) works in the field of conceptual design. Playing with context and the perception of the subject, he employs complexity, fragmentation, layering, and mixed references. Gečas is currently studying for a PhD in the field of design at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and his design objects are presented in international exhibitions. He also curates various design exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad.

Exhibition curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

The exhibition is partially supported by the Vilnius City Municipality

The exhibition open from 3rd of December until 18th of January 2022.

The exhibition can be visited 24/7

Arvydas Umbrasas’s one-piece exhibition The Hunt at apiece gallery

Arvydas Umbrasas’s research for this work took its starting point in the myth of The Cosmic Hunt. This myth tells the story of an animal which was chased and wounded by a man, bounced off the ground, leapt into the sky and turned into the Great Bear constellation.

Still told in different cultures, this story was evolving with time, acquiring different variations across various locations of world and reflecting the worldview and the natural surroundings of prehistoric societies and, later on, of different civilisations. Since the Late Palaeolithic (40 000 – 10 000 BC), the Cosmic Hunt has continuously roamed the world along with waves of human migration, while the Ursa Major, as one of the main constellations, has united and still unites the people scattered around the Earth.

The French archaeologist and statistician Julien d’Huy studied the Cosmic Hunt myth using phylogenetic principles (including computer programmes for evolutionary biology) and by linking biology and mythology; he concluded that the myth goes back at least 15 000 years. D’Huy saw constellation mythology as “a glimpse into the mental universe of our ancestors”, which from the earliest steps in the development of culture and technology was inseparable from the night sky.

According to the American professor of palaeoanthropology Erik Trinkaus (University of Washington, USA) who studied the bones of Middle and Late Palaeolithic Eurasians, around 26 000 years ago (at the time when, as claimed by d’Huy, the myth began to circulate across communities), man began to wear supportive footwear that made hunting more comfortable.

All this led Umbrasas to take an interest in the practical reality of hunting and survival for modern man (Homo sapiens sapiens). The hand-reachable “shooting stars” – meteorites – inspire not only to dream but also to contemplate on the beginning of all life. It is speculated that during the intense prebiotic bombardment of the Earth, meteorites carried with them the necessary “building blocks” that contributed to the still-uncovered non-biological chemical processes which later gave birth to biology. Thus, a meteorite can instantly bring us back to the reality of primitive man or become part of a wider cosmic hunt; a hunt that is already beginning to take shape in corporate plans for interplanetary colonisation and the development of the space industry. How will these new parameters affect the development of our consciousness and bodies? What kind of hunting are we preparing for wearing the “soft” sports footwear perfected by designers, sports engineers and doctors?

Arvydas Umbrasas is a Vilnius-based artist. His sculptural works deal with cosmic bodies and their impact on the human imagination.

Curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

The exhibition will be open until November 22nd

The exhibition open every day 24/7.

“The Argument”: single artwork exhibition by Katja Aufleger at gallery „apiece“

Gallery “apiece” presents Berlin-based German artist Katja Aufleger’s work “The Argument”.

“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute”. Henry Wheeler Shaw

The work, created in 2020 and newly adapted to the showcase of the gallery “apiece”, acts as a metaphor for both personal relationships as well as social criticism. Red boxing gloves sandwiched between the showcase windows create tension, highlight the moment of being frozen in time, and question the logic of the argument. In other words, the fight of “arguments” is shifted from the central position of power (which is based on physical force) to the outside (based on thinking), promoting a potentially more open dialogue. At the same time, the installation subtly gives meaning to the tension found in everyday life (both personal and social) which is permeated by the meaninglessness created by anxiety, confrontation and lack of dialogue.

Katja Aufleger is a Berlin-based artist whose artwork functions as a metaphor or an analogy for talking about a number of diverse yet interlinked topics. At the core of her artistic work lies the question of power relations, which function both as a creative and destructive force. Her artworks become a multi-layered experience where the viewer’s consciousness and subconsciousness participate.

Exhibition curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė

The opening of the exhibition will take place during the event “Vilnius Gallery Weekend”.

Exhibition in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Vilnius

Exhibition is open until October 13

Exhibition can be viewed 24/7

More information about Katja Aufleger —> www.katjaaufleger.com

Rupert at apiece Ittah Yoda — No History of Its Own

3/08/21—5/09/21

Rupert centre for art, residencies and education and apiece — a window gallery in the centre of Vilnius — are pleased to announce a solo presentation of collaborative work by a duo formed by Kai Yoda and Virgile Ittah.

Working with resilient materials and using a number of organic and what is more local materials and pigments, this time the duo allows others to interact with their work: for their exhibition at apiece, the duo will showcase one of their sculptures created during their residency at Rupert, in the framework of a dialogue with the participants of Rupert’s Alternative Education Programme. The collaborative sculptural installation will introduce the visitors to an idea referred by the artists to as “the right to make reality”, while changing in the course of the show.

But like with any right, “right to make reality” is highly susceptible to the contextual fluctuations. As much as we would like to crystalise an unchangeable, pure set of rights grounding the foundations of reality, we must admit that universal singularity is merely a tempting fantasy.

The reality, just like locally sourced beeswax that Ittah Yoda is experimenting with as these lines are being written, is an impure collective effort. More than that — it is an impure collective effort guided by multiple forces that often evades taxonomic desires of the human mind.

One of those elusive forces is the unconscious that is one of Virgile and Kai’s source of inspiration. And as, according to Franco “Bifo” Berardi, we enter the era third unconscious, marked by the withdrawal from overwhelming complexities and hegemonic rule of the world, it seems that the mind itself seeks for relief through collectivity and richness of organic materiality.

Ittah Yoda (Germany/France/Japan) is a duo formed by Kai Yoda and Virgile Ittah, based between Berlin, Paris and Tokyo. The artists come from diverse backgrounds, and they have developed their artistic identity through digitally enabled cross-cultural creative collaborations. Focused on a strong interest in the unconscious, insecurity, and anxiety, the therapeutic relation between Ittah and Yoda leads to a potential new understanding of the self through re-enactment of trauma and repetitive behaviour patterns. They raise questions such as: is it possible to fuse multiple unconsciousness in order to create new collective experiences and forms, regardless of their origins?

Ittahyoda.com

VR: https://vimeo.com/310384998

Rupert at apiece
Address: M.K Čiurlionio st., Vilnius, https://bit.ly/3y59TRL

The exhibition can be viewed 24/7.

In partnership with the French Institute in Lithuania.

Rupert’s activities are supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture.