Valmantas Gutauskas | Reflections
On Friday, June 20th at 6 PM, we invite you to the opening of the exhibition “Reflections” by Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty Professor Valmantas Gutauskas.
The exhibition presenting installations and contemporary glass art objects is based on the concept of awakening image, which emerges in works where the image is unstable and constantly changing due to reflective surfaces. Here, the image acts like an active participant that awakens in the presence of the viewer, using ephemeral reflections as an intermediating visual medium. The image that suddenly strikes us is discovered as a reflection of the present that is (un)fixed by artistic means, which no longer functions as representation, but as a reflection of gaze, imagination, memory, and time.
Valmantas Gutauskas’s work in architectural and artistic glass is characterized by an innovative approach to material and form, often utilizing glass’s properties of transparency, reflectivity, and optics. His works stand out through masterful glass processing, where optics, mirrors, and various light effects on surfaces play an important role. In this way, the author creates captivating installation forms, where images in the works depend not only on the gaze and engagement, but also on environmental conditions and spatial characteristics.
Gutauskas frequently experiments with reflections and light refraction, giving his works dynamism and unpredictability. His works subtly activate space and are constantly changing, allowing the viewer to experience multi-layered visions. Using mirrors and optical effects, he creates illusions of visible reality that can provide impressions of depth, image fluidity, or deformation, thus encouraging the viewer to actively participate in perceiving the work.
This is an exceptional opportunity to see an exhibition by one of Lithuania’s most prominent architectural and artistic glass creators, who rarely organizes solo shows. The exposition is characterized by a philosophical understanding of materiality, inventive use of glass, and unexpected perspectives that combine the experience of space and awakening images.
Valmantas Gutauskas is a glass artist with broad specialization and longtime head of the Glass Art and Design Department at Vilnius Academy of Arts Kaunas Faculty of Arts, where he serves as professor. He is one of the leaders of the architectural glass movement, united by the rejection of dogmatic approaches to stained glass and glass, and by the possibilities of mastered technologies. His monumental works are characterized by exceptional harmony with the environment, thoughtful form, convincing relationships between constructions and glass elements, and original techniques and solutions.
The exhibition is part of the gallery’s “Awakening” project. The exhibition is partially supported by the Lithuanian Artists’ Association and the Lithuanian Culture Council.
The exhibition will run at “Arka” gallery until July 20th.
