Lithuanian artist Ray Bartkus, who has been working in the United States for more than three decades, continues to not forget his native country. Those hungry for art saw the latest installation "Infinity" by this internationally recognized creator in Vilnius.
In the most advanced baroque complex of the capital - "Tower Square" - St. The installation "Infinity" by R. Bartkaus is exhibited in Elizabeth Street. Businessmen Lina and Tomas Kučinskas are the patrons of this event, and at the same time the hosts of the work.
January 31 from 10 a.m. to 16 p.m. the exhibition is open to visitors. R. Bartkus will tell about the work and will gladly answer all questions.
The idea of "Infinity" for the author of this installation was born in cooperation with New York high society. The artist was intrigued by the boundless possibilities, ambitions, wealth, responsibilities, beauty and power of those people. The new installation conveys all this in a modern and visual way, using footage from Alain René's film "Last Year in Marienbad".
The axis of this installation is nails, which "Infinity" needed over 100 kilograms. R. Bartkus started creating with the help of nails ten years ago, and the artist has already demonstrated an installation built using a similar technique in Geneva. The developer says that "Infinity" is a continuation of the experiments and speculations that began ten years ago. At the same time, he admits that the technique is really unconventional and it took time to master it. The nails are hammered into the aluminum mesh, their heads, like pixels on a computer screen, create patterns that are repeated endlessly with the help of mirrors.
"The problem is that when creating an installation, you never know how it will actually look until the piece is constructed. The same installation can appear quite differently in different environments. I chose the space responsibly, I am very happy that "Infinity" was shown for the first time in the chapel of St. Elizabeth, which perfectly suited the needs of this installation. The first intriguing paradox of this piece lies between everyday building materials and the multi-layered, delicate beauty they create. Nails, metal nets - even though they are rough materials, the result is closer to Byzantine mosaics. The second paradox lies between the shiny facade image created by the nail heads and its negative on the opposite side of the net, created by the sharp ends of the nails. The third paradox is between the materiality of the work and its fragility. The nails in the net are not fixed, if they are not bent properly, they fall out and the work disappears. This mandala effect is important to me, testifying to the transience of being," says artist R. Bartkus.
Young artists also contributed to the creation of "Infinity": Meilė Arminaitė, Brigita Baltrimaitė, Neringa Baltrimaitė, Tadas Kunas, Gabrielė Lesetaitė, Judita Lukšytė, Sofija Sadauskaitė, Danielė Šalasevičiūtė. Algimantas Vaitonis made the engineering decisions and took care of the production.
After the exposition in Vilnius, the installation "Infinity" will move to JAV. Its first presentation to the public across the Atlantic will take place at the Fitler Club Art Gallery in Philadelphia.
R. Bartkus, who lives in Philadelphia, said that this year he will visit his hometown even more often, because there are many responsible projects waiting here. Not only the premiere of the installation "Infinity", but also a big project for the jubilee celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Lithuanian Song Festival. And where for many years now in Marijampolė itself, the international creative symposium "Malonny" has been successfully curated, thanks to which the city is discovered and beautified by artists from New York and London.
