Lithuanian Culture Season in Italy: (AV17) Gallery Presented Mindaugas Navakas at “Artissima”

(AV17) Gallery returned to one of Europe’s most prestigious art fairs, Artissima, taking place in Turin, Italy, from October 31 to November 2. To mark Lithuania’s cultural season in Italy, the gallery presented the sculptures of Mindaugas Navakas.

Mindaugas Navakas is one of the most significant Lithuanian sculptors. His monumental sculptural objects have become integral elements of both Lithuanian and international public spaces and architecture. Belonging to the generation of artists, who in the 1970s and 1980s, revitalized the language of sculpture and contributed to its conceptual transformation in Lithuania. Navakas is a sculptor-researcher who continually explores the possibilities of diverse materials. He is equally at ease working on a grand scale, in smaller formats, or in graphic art. In his practice, material itself becomes a response to his often serious – yet at times ironic engagement with the surrounding environment.

At Artissima, (AV17) Gallery showcased Navakas’ porcelain works, which merge Eastern ceramic traditions with Western everyday motifs. Porcelian, traditionally associated with refinement and delicacy in Eastern culture, is reinterpreted by the artist into massive forms reminiscent of Western household objects. Navakas’ sculptures evolve into multi-layered compositions that embody cultural dialogue, friction, and existential insight. At the same time, they evoke a sense of uncertainty, fragility and the transience of traditions. Through porceliain’s symbolism, the artist reflects on the delicate boundaries between civilizations and the tensions that define our contemporary world.

Mindaugas Navakas (b. 1952) has been an active figure in the art world since 1977, exhibiting in Lithuania and internationally. He taught for many years at the Sculpture Department of the Vilnius Academy of Arts. His works have been showcased at prestigious events such as the first Gwangju Biennale in 1995, and in 1999 he was the first artist (alongside Eglė Rakauskaitė) to represent Lithuania at the Venice Biennale. Navakas has received numerous awards, including the Herder Prize (1995), the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Art (1999), and the Baltic Assembly Prize (2004). His sculptures are held in national museums and private collections worldwide.

Artissima is among Europe‘s most influential and leading contemporary art fairs, bringing together artists, collectors and curators in Turin every year since 1994. The fair stands out for its bold and experimental curatorial vision and focus on new ideas, showcasing both established and emerging talents from around the world. Every year more than 60,000 visitors come to Turin‘s exhibition spaces in search of new creative discoveries and inspiration.

The “Artissima” Art Fair took place at OVAL Lingotto Fiere, Via Giacomo Mattè Trucco 70, Turin, from October 31 to November 2. (AV17) Gallery‘s booth: 10 (Red line).

The project was funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality.