07.06. - 10.06.2018

Lithuanian Exhibition Centre LITEXPO

Laisves pr. 5, LT-04215 Vilnius, Lithuania

Maksla XO gallery at ART VILNIUS 2018

At ART VILNIUS 2018 Maksla XO gallery’s collection will celebrate Latvia’s centenary, presenting several of the most significant artists of today, who have been nominated for the most prestigious visual art award in Latvia – Purvitis Prize. Maksla XO gallery’s collection will be formed by the works of Latvian painters Ieva Iltnere, Girts Muiznieks, Ivars Heinrihsons and Arturs Berzins, and sculptor – Ginters Krumholcs.

Maksla XO gallery’s exposition starts with a sculpture “Sunrise” by Ginters Krumholcs – an emerging contemporary Latvian sculptor. “Sunrise” depicts a naked figure of Apollo, who’s shooting down drones in the sky with his bow. The drones are like symbols for nowadays’ distractions – all the gadgets and technologies that disturb us to actually see and be attentive. Apollo is purifying our thinking and the field of vision. It is a well-known fact that the rainbow emerges after rain when everything is starting to be pure and clear. Hence, Apollo is sculpted in rainbow colours, symbolising his clear vision and purification.
Next stop at the exposition is Ieva Iltnere’s central painting – “Renaissance People”, where the painter juxtapositions renaissance titans to modern people, who also can do anything and everything.
In Ieva Iltnere’s latest paintings, the art itself is the centre of the works, or more precisely – the crème de la crème about art. These are stories about artworks and personalities that have become not only the icons of contemporary art, but have also achieved a role of fetish in the consumer society. With a subtle irony and love, Ieva Iltnere’s painted things and objects speak about the passions of nowadays’ individuals, which are not unfamiliar for the painter herself.
Ivars Heinrihsons’ paintings open doors to one of the most quintessential creative expressions of the artist’s personality. For the artist, A  H O R S E signifies not only an aesthetic fascination with the form or a romantic notion, internally present in each of us. It is artist himself. Something that happens within oneself – conscious, intuitive, still unwitting.
Girts Muiznieks is able to work on any surface with any paints, since the very process of painting, being engaged in it is the essential. He superbly combines the elements of abstract art – wide brush strokes, pouring, drops of paint, scratching, glazing – with the forms of realistic expression- female figure, eyes, eyelashes, lips, flowers, creating semi-abstract and dynamic compositions.
The latest works by Arturs Berzins from his solo show “Likenotlikeability” should be perceived as a sequel to the series “Works of Images”, where the artist continues to read and analyze texts of philosophers, trying to follow the development of one idea that becomes an image. The drawings on the wood are supplemented by fragments of the texts by Plato, Wittgenstein, Aristotle, Lucretius, Kant and others.
“[...] The subject of the exhibition is the soul. It has been described in various ways. These descriptions have been taken as images, as suggestions for studies, as suggestions for thoughts. The question in the focus was – how the soul has been able to appear to different people.
The works are about the soul as an inner feeling. About the soul’s divisibility or indivisibility. About its best image. About it as fine, tiny pieces. About its levels. About it as a breath. About the way how the soul explores the world. About the hidden art in its depths. About its three abilities. About its obstacles and stimulus, or likes and dislikes, or contentment and sufferings."

www.artvilnius.com

More about Art Vilnius'18 expositions: 

http://arterritory.com/ru/pinok/art-jarmarki/7527-artvilnius_2018._pole_vozmozhnostej_i_ne_toljko/