Danas Aleksa, Titanic, exhibition view, 2018 ©
On 13 August, 5 pm, Danas Aleksa’ solo exhibition “Changed Purpose” was opened at the Audiovisual Arts Centre in Alytus.
This exhibition is part of a larger project by (AV17) Gallery, showcasing the work of prominent interdisciplinary artists in Lithuanian cities beyond the capital. Alongside Danas Aleksa’ solo presentation, Denisas Kolomyckis’ exhibition “Femina” will be on display at the Jonava Culture Centre in August, and Jurga Barilaitė’s exhibition “The Bottom” will open at the Telšiai Gallery of Vilnius Academy of Arts in December.
Danas Aleksa is a conceptual interdisciplinary artist working with sculpture, object, performance, and video art. The core of the artist’s practice revolves around the interrelation of time and place. The main axes of the artist’s work are time and place and their interrelation. In his work, the artist analyses the environment around him, social and virtual spaces, and highlights fragments of everyday situations related to them. The adaptation of society or nature to constantly changing conditions and contexts is important to the artist. His work is often linked to a specific space, often forgotten or even marginalised. Using everyday motifs, Danas Aleksa explores the human and personal relationship with place, and its processes of change, decline or destruction. The artist’s sensitivity to place opens up the often-overlooked cultural contexts that surround us.
Danas Aleksa, Fucked Windows, exhibition view, 2017 ©
The solo exhibition, “Changed Purpose” showcases Danas Aleksa’s latest sculptural works, delving into the recurring motif of decay—a central theme in his practice. The genesis of this exhibition is the memory of religious buildings that, during the Soviet era, were repurposed as warehouses, gyms, hospitals, and other facilities. A particularly poignant image is windows covered with bars that replicated the window openings. The artist sees a paradoxical tension in this juxtaposition: the metaphysical disembodiedness, which has no frame, confronted by a physical barrier intent on containment and erasure.
The works in the exhibition reflect on the architecture and context of the abandoned synagogue that now houses the Audiovisual Arts Centre. The synagogue’s changing purpose – from spirituality to destruction, and then to culture and preservation – serves as a focal point. By replicating the pre-renovation window bars, the artist appears to merge the past and present images of this singular place. The universal issue of heritage and its place in today’s society is sensitively addressed through the sculptural objects and the exhibition itself, drawing attention to the synagogue space. Danas Aleksa immerses the viewer in the exhibition’s atmosphere and invites them to reflect on their own relationship with the ever-changing environment around them.
Danas Aleksa, Sculptor’s Body, exhibition view 2021. Photo by Laurynas Skeisgiela ©
Danas Aleksa, Bellows, 2020 ©
Danas Aleksa (b. 1971) in 1997 has graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where he obtained a master’s degree in sculpture. Since then, the artist actively participates in solo and group exhibitions, and international residencies. Danas Aleksa’s works have been added to public spaces in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities. In 2012, he became a member of the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artist’s Association. The artist lives and works in Vilnius.
Danas Aleksa’s solo exhibition, “Changed Purpose” is on view at the Audiovisual Arts Centre (Kauno str. 9, Alytus) until 7 September 2024. The project is financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
