On Thursday, April 27 April, at 6 p.m., the solo exhibition “Slipcover” by designer Mantas Lesauskas will open at Galerija VARTAI (Vilniaus str. 39, Vilnius).
„Slipcover“ is a series of furniture pieces created over two years, inviting reflection on the challenges of the last years of the pandemic and the anxiety of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The objects in the exhibition feature a recurring motif of draped fabric that, in various forms, invites us to reflect on the current issues of the past years. In the face of war, we protect not only our lives and those of our loved ones, but also our personal and collective cultural heritage from enemies and invaders, and books remain one of the most effective means of passing on the heritage, which is why the image of a temporarily draped and preserved culture is the focus of this exhibition.
The exhibition will feature new and never-before-seen limited edition furniture by Mantas Lesauskas that analyse every day, intimate life amidst books – a book table, shelves for small books, side tables, shelves for art albums, armchairs with additional sleaves for books.
“Mantas Lesauskas’ furniture reminds us that design is the love language of objects. In this exhibition, it is deceptively firm, without immediate betrayal of its intentions. Silver-plated aluminium, limed oak, parachute pleats – a militaristic Gothic that seems to leave no room for tenderness. Yet the soul of these objects is subtle: they are the readers’ furniture on which the stories rest.” – Monika Kalinauskaitė
Mantas Lesauskas is a graduate of the Department of Design at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In his earlier projects he pursued conceptual and social design theories. His Bin Toy, Millegome, Eurofurniture (2008), and It’s Also a Table (2009) expressed the importance of ecological issues and questioned the value of newly created objects. In 2011, he was awarded a Licentiate of Arts after defending an art project and thesis entitled ‘Narratives of Nostalgia in Design Objects’. He is also an associate professor at the Design Department at Vilnius Academy of Arts
Exhibition supported by: Kuro Aparatūra
Gallery patrons: Renata ir Rolandas Valiūnai
Gallery supporters: Vilnius City Municipality, Lietuvos Rytas, Vilma Dagilienė, Roma Puišienė, Rasa Juodviršienė, Romas Kinka, Ekskomisarų biuras, MailerLite, Plieno Spektras
Design: Taktika Studio
