Gitenis Umbrasas
The author is best known for such artworks as “Miracle” (1999), mosaic tile on the pavement in the Cathedral Square, and “Love Banks” (2004) at Neris quay. At this show Gitenis Umbrasas presented another side of his art – paintings, sculptures and “monumental miniatures” created in the time period from 1978 until 2015.
Gitenis Umbrasas has been creating small scale sculpture compositions from stone and wood for many years. “Monumentaliukai” – a piece of works belonging to such group of sculpture, were displayed at this exhibition. The title of artworks derived from connection of the main features these exhibits contain – stone, as one of the main materials used in monumental art, and small scale. The artist creates almost abstract compositions from waves polished stones found at Lithuanian sea shore in the form of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic shapes. These works reveal both author’s inclination towards construction of sculpture body and slightly ironic approach to the significance and meaning of monument, sculpture or architecture piece with memorial purpose.
On the second part of exhibition the author presented his early paintings and other “monumental miniatures”. Gitenis Umbrasas self-portraits from the late ’70s and later periods introduce us with the author’s search of the artistic way in the very beginning of his career. Paintings depicted in realistic manner, created with great interest to psychological human condition and vivid colors have been recently shown in the photography, video art, installation, painting and performance exhibition „Self-Memories – The contemporary sense of awareness“ organised by international art festival “Self” hosted in Venice (Italy) during Venice Art Biennale.
Gitenis Umbrasas (1961) graduated in fresco – mosaic from Vilnius Institute of Arts (1988). The artist works as a teacher at Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty and Architectural Engineering Department of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. In 2009 he was awarded with Vilnius City St. Christopher prize “For small and big miracles of Vilnius”. Part of his “Monumnetaliukai” participated in contemporary art Quadrennial 2014 “Art on a flagpole”. The artist has initiated many original art projects, among them: flying painting (kites) objects and miniature frescoes painted in the former Sereikiškių park tree hollows. Gitenis Umbrasas also has created such works as memorial wall “The Wall of Victims” (2000) the names and life dates carved in a plinth of the former KGB headquarters building (Gedimino ave. 40, Vilnius), the love symbolizing apple tile in Vilnius S. Moniuška square, “Warbling Cross” (2000) (Latvių st., Vilnius) and dome mosaic “Trinity” (2009) at Tuskulenai Peace Park.
