Public sculpture by Žilvinas Landzbergas

Published on Wednesday, 03 June 2020 20:31

In May 2020 artist, VAA professor and frequent guest at NAC Žilvinas Landzbergas begun realisation of a public sculpture, situated in the northern part of the NAC public territory. The work redesigns and reformulates current patterns of the social use of the space defined by the fireplace, and opens up this part of the NAC public space to the garden of Eduardas Jonušas House and the public path close by. The sculpture has been developed throughout 2019; we are happy to have entered now the final phase: the realisation of this work.

Thanks to Landzberga’s sincere analysis of the surrounding space of the NAC, this project became a catalyst to jointly focus, rethink, and plan the general impression of this space. Since the construction of the NAC buildings in 2011 and 2016, the territory surrounding them was left somewhat undefined and anonymous. We realised that shaping and defining functions of each of the areas of the territory became mandatory in order to actually be able to develop and situate a sculpture somewhere, and in order for the sculpture to be able to perform, instead of disappearing in the context of a parking lot and a general feeling of indifference of this space. For this reason, together with architect Povilas Marozas and ecological landscape designer and botanist Vilma Gudynienė, a plan was developed that included a general redesign and shaping of the green areas of the NAC territory. This process went hand in hand with the planning of Landzberga’s sculpture. 

Landzbergas is working on a composition of various concrete and ceramic sculptures. Large concrete pedestals in abstract and concrete shapes of various heights are organised around a custom made fire bowl. The sculptural ensemble gives this social context a new look, creating a well structured space that is inviting and allows one to literally encounter the NAC public space from new perspectives. The concrete pedestals can be used as plateaus to rest and sit, as tables, or as bars to support the organisation of social gatherings. Surrounding trees were shaped and integrated in the setting thus giving the possibility to rest in the shade. During the course of the summer the now rough pedestals will be finalised and ceramic sculptures produced and added.

The first phase of the works were finalized in May in collaboration with Martynas Maziliauskas and Martynas Margevičius.We look very much forward to finalisation of this process. In the meantime, the NAC guests and visitors are welcome to inhabit the pedestals, and to use, improvise, and generate their own social setups based on their needs.

Žilvinas Landzbergas (lives and works in Vilnius) studied sculpture at Vilnius Academy of Arts and completed the De Ateliers postgraduate course in Amsterdam. From 2011 to 2013 he co-ran an independent project space in Vilnius called Malonioji 6. Landzbergas represented Lithuania at the 57th Venice Biennale with the installation R. His work has been presented in a number of international group exhibitions including RIBOCA 1 (2018), About the Trees at the Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern (2016), and City Without Walls: Vilnius at the Liverpool Biennial (2010), among others. In 2016 Landzbergas received the Neringa Municipality Stipend and was a board member of NAC from 2014–2019. Landzbergas curates, lectures, and often engages collaborative practices into his larger scale works.

The project is co-funded by Neringa Municipality.

Photos by Julija Navarskaitė.