On April 14, (AV17) gallery (Vilnius, Lithuania) opened a solo show “The Invisible Exhibition” by architect Vladas Balsys.
Vladas Balsys in his works explores limits of architecture and visual arts. While searching for new boundaries of these processes and extending the current ones the artist often employs the idea of nothingness. With the help of key concepts such as invisibility, emptiness, reduction, absurdity, minimum and decay the main features of his art objects become zero shape, scale, time and function. New conditions of works’ invisibility reveal critical limitations of visuality to spectators, while works often balance between being and non existance. Majority of author’s works are not displayed in the exhibition halls intentionally, due to the hidden authorship they remain unknown and constantly find themselves near extinction.
Although visitors at this exhibition will not have an opportunity to see material works, Balsys encourages to find them individually. The absence of the convenient visual connection with a tangible body of an artwork, its form, colour, scale, volume and proportion closes the exhibits in the frame of time, hereby they are delaying and waiting for the touch of their own shadow. Never appearing works in the presence of emptiness were once started by the artist, but still unfinished, thus balancing freely between being and nothingness. The physical presence of some works is symbolically commemorated by marking the beginning of their (non)existance and their position in the space. The atmosphere of emptiness in the exhibition enables viewers to pay more attention to other suddenly entering visitors, instead of spending the unlimited amount of time alone with works.
For visitors, who do not believe in the existence of invisible artworks, a surprise work will be presented during the time of exhibition. One day from 14 April to 7 May the artist will introduce his process work “Unemployed Time”. For this day (particular date remains unknown) the gallery will be closed and visitors will not be able to see the exhibition. According to the artist, the opportunity for visitors not to see, learn and touch the artwork is a miracle.
Vladas Balsys (b.1976) graduated from Telšiai Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts where he studied Jewellery, later earned Bachelor and Master degrees in Architecture from Vilnius Academy of Arts and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. He is currently a member of Lithuanian Architects’, Art Creators’ Associations and Lithuanian Non-creators’ Organization. Lives and works in Klaipėda. “The Invisible Exhibition” is the continuous exhibition previously presented in Klaipėda-based gallery Si:said.
The Invisible Exhibition will be open until 7 May.
Photography: Laima Buivydaitė
