Nerijus Erminas
Nerijus Erminas is a conceptual sculptor. His works are characterised by sensitive transformation of reality into surreal and subconscious experiences. The narrative installations created by the artist transform easily recognisable elements of human life and everyday situations turning them in an unusual direction distant from the reality, while the viewer is caught in a never-ending play of meanings. Unstructured stories told in the work of Erminas are created by consistently studying situations seen as insignificant by the viewers. This creative strategy chosen by the artist as well as subjective approach encourages the viewers to notice things that would otherwise go unnoticed. Stories behind the work of Erminas take shape in the process of observing and analysing everyday rituals, interpreting both cultural and political context, history, religion, and expressing personal as well as collective experience. At exhibitions, individual objects are arranged following the principles similar to those employed in scenography, avoiding redundancy and getting a deeper understanding of intrinsic connections between the objects. The artist uses his sensitive compositions to analyse universally relevant and familiar topics, focusing on the emotional experience.
Born in 1976 in Plikiai village, Klaipėda district, Lithuania
Lives and works in Vilnius
Education
2005-2007 Vilnius Academy of Arts, Master’s degree in sculpture
1999-2005 Vilnius Academy of Arts, Bachelor’s degree in sculpture
1994-1998 Telšiai further education school of applied arts, speciality of sculptor
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Sacrifice, apiece gallery, Vilnius, Lietuva
2018 Thoughtful ocean. Guests, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 VOLTA NY Art Fair, New York, USA
2017 Staging. The house of cards, festival Zemlika, Durbe, Latvia
2016 I will be ready when you will come, Artists house, Nida; si:said gallery, Klaipėda, Lithuania
2015 Seven days until the night, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2013 Nerijus Erminas, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2013 Nerijus Erminas, gallery Vartai, Vilnius, Lithuania
2011 INCUBATIO, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2011 Exhibition, St. John Street gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Unpacked, Exhibition Hall , Klaipėda, Lithuania
2009 Blue period II, V & K Mizgiris Artists House, Nida, Lithuania
2009 Blue period, Argentum, Vilnius, Lithuania
2006 Human, Art Centre of Baltic Amber, Vilnius, Lithuania
2005 sCULpTURES, V & K Mizgiris Artists House, Nida, Lithuania
2004 sCULpTURES, Rūtos gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2004 Remix, Art Centre of Baltic Amber, Vilnius, Lithuania
1997 Teahouse “Špytolė“, Kretinga, Lithuania
1997 Showroom, Telšiai, Lithuania
Group Exhibitions
2023 □, VDA exposition hall Titanikas, Vilnius, Lithuania
2022 Do Octopuses Dream about People? Works from the Lewben Art Foundation Collection, ArtVilnius’22, Vilnius, Lithuania
2022 (Re)collections, Užutrakis mansion, Lithuania
2022 Everything has changed overnight, Panemunė castle park, Lithuania
2021 International art biennial Laconica, Tsekh gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2021 Place of Incident, gallery Arka, Vilnius, Lithuania
2021 POP UP exhibition Pylimo st., Vilnius, Lithuania
2020 State, Pakruojis Castle park-Panemunė Castle, Lithuania
2020 Now. Elsewhere, Vilkaviškis-Alytus-Prienai, Lithuania
2019 Zemlika art festival, Durbe, Latvia
2019 Visits, Composers’ House, Vilnius, Lithuania
2019 Infusion, Kelmė-Telšiai-Mažeikiai, Lithuania
2019 Embedded memory, Quadrennial’19, KCCC, Klaipeda, Lithuania
2019 Karlsruhe Art Fair, Karlsruhe, Germany
2018 Three actions and silence, MO museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 ArtVerona Art Fair, Verona, Italy
2018 POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, Berlin, Germany
2018 Emptiness of passed time, Vilnius Town Hall, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 Section, Trivium gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2018 The Cabinet of Mary Magdalene. Mutations, gallery ROCKELMANN&, Berlin, Germany
2018 In the evening, Šilutė-Šilalė-Gelgaudiškis, Lithuania
2017 The belt and road, Qingdao Sculpture Gallery, Qingdao, China
2017 The beginning of meeting, movie theater “Lietuva”, Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 Exchange, gallery ROCKELMANN&, Berlin, Germany
2016 Young Poor Artists Show 2016 – Jogailos str. 11, Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, Berlin, Germany
2016 ArtVilnius’16, Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 Behind the Scenes, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2015 The 80th Anniversary, Šv Jono Gatvės Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2015 7 objects, Visaginas – Švenčionėliai – Šalčininkai, Lithuania
2014 Orangery, Užutrakis manor (Trakai), Lithuania
2014 The State of Light +Pearls, galerry Dimora Artica, Milan, Italy
2014 ArtVilnius’14, Vilnius, Lithuania
2014 CAUTION! Mind the Object!, POST gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania
2013 New and Tradition, Art Centre Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg, Denmark
2013 NordArt 2013, Kunstwerk Carlshütte, Büdelsdorf, Germany
2013 THE PATH, ArtVilnius’13, Vilnius, Lithuania
2013 Gallery “ARgenTum”, ArtVilnius’13, Vilnius, Lithuania
2012 Small plastic contest – exhibition Connections, (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2011 Behind the White Curtain, Darius Mikšys’ project, CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania / Lithuanian Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
2011 Human factor, KKKC, Klaipėda, Lithuania
2011 ArtVilnius’11, Vilnius, Lithuania
2011 Years of Sculpture‘10, St. John Street gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Žalgirio & Durbės Battle Theme, gallery Arka, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Male Textile, gallery Artifex, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Years of Sculpture‘09, St. John Street gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2009 Created in Klaipėda, Exhibition Hall, Klaipėda, Lithuania
2008 Patriot, gallery Vartai, Vilnius – Žeimiai, Lithuania
2007 (Not)visible, Arts printing House, Vilnius, Lithuania
2006 Buterbrodas-Butterbote, Stuttgart, Germany
2006 Measurements, Lietuvos Aidas gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2005 Traces of Fire, Lietuvos Aidas gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2005 Amber Trip – Elite, Vilnius, Lithuania
2004 Exhibition of Postcards, gallery Galera, Vilnius, Lithuania
2004 Small but strange, Rūtos gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2004 Students of Vilnius Arts Academy exhibition Sculptures, Guild of Trade, Vilnius, Lituania
2004 Amber Trip – Otherwise Amber, Vilnius, Lithuania
2003 Enemy of Body, Gallery of Amber, Vilnius, Lithuania
Scholarships/Awards
2016 Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania state scholarship for creators of art and culture
2012 ArtVilnius’12, for the best sculpture – The Squirrel and Wall, presented by (AV17) gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Sculpture of the Year’09, for the prime work of small plastic, St. John Street gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2009 Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania state scholarship for creators of art and culture