Iron Vilnius

December 5, 2024 - March 16, 2025

Museum of Applied Arts and Design

Arsenalo g. 3a, LT-01143 Vilnius

Paroda

Numerous threads bind Vilnius and iron. After all, Vilnius began from iron – or more precisely, from the howl of the iron wolf in Gediminas’ dream. Thus, iron lies at the very core of Vilnius, it is its foundation. Imagined, legendary, but iron nonetheless. It played an important role in the history of Vilnius in terms of defence, being used in the city since its very inception, and remains unbelievably important to this day. Iron Vilnius talks about Lithuania’s capital city… through iron. A metal from which weapons and crosses are made, along with small architecture details, roofs and railings, locks and chests, and of course sculptures. From steel to cast iron and rust – iron comes in many forms, in which it is expressed in the urban space. However, in the Lithuanian consciousness iron remains foreign in some sense, often left on the peripheries of our thinking and field of vision. Iron Vilnius invites us to change our focus and pay attention to iron in the city, to dive into Vilnius’ past – we’re sure to be surprised in what ways iron can be related to history, culture and contemporary art.

This exhibition has three main aspects: lost iron – no longer extant small architecture objects made of iron, captured by photographers and painters, invisible iron – the iron architectural, sculptural and public space objects that still exist in the Vilnius landscape yet rarely draw attention, and inspiring iron – the artistic bond between iron and Vilnius, expressed in the work of contemporary artists. They all interweave, creating a unifying field where contemporary works of art look like historical artefacts, while the forms taken by iron things and objects prove their worth as artworks. In this artistic field we find contemporary sculpture made from iron, graphic art prints from iron objects found in Vilnius, and Vilnius’ painted balconies. There are photographs of wind vanes, roofs and gates from historic Vilnius. And designs for the city that never ended up being realised. Here, iron is not just the auxiliary but the main element. Militaristic, defensive, sculptural and architectural stories are woven into one narrative, where the distant echo of the iron wolf’s howl can still be heard.

Exhibition curator Jurgita Ludavičienė

Participants:

Ramūnas Alminas, Konstantinas Balzukevičius, Mečislovas Bulaka, Janas Bułhakas, Rafaelis Chvolesas, Vladas Drėma, Matas Dūda, Nerijus Erminas, Stanisławas Filibertas Fleury՚is, Johanas Hiksa, Alfred Holler, Juozas Kėdainis, Eglė Kuckaitė, Eimantas Ludavičius, Antanas Miežanskas, Rimantas Milkintas, Mindaugas Navakas, Remigijus Pačėsa, Rafal Piesliak, Vita Pukštaitė-Bružė, Eglė Ridikaitė, Liudvikas Ruikas, Roblin, Biruta Stulgaitė, Ričardas Šileika, Vladas Urbanavičius, Teodoras Kazimieras Valaitis.

The exhibition presents works from the collections of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, National Museum of Lithuania, Šiauliai Aušros Museum, TARTLE, Lithuanian Photographers Association, private collections and artists.