69 Millstones

Vladas Urbanavičius (b. 1951) frequently employs what he refers to as ‘borrowed forms’ in his artistic practice, drawing his inspiration from materials and existing objects. Rather than striving to create something entirely new, the artist is driven by a desire to extend the previous life of these materials and objects, finding inspiration in their past. 69 Millstones arose from a practical necessity: to construct a barrier separating neighbouring properties. While addressing this practical task with millstones, he also set himself a conceptual challenge: to steer clear of ethnographic associations, and to reimagine the conventional use of millstones often found in exterior settings. ‘I aimed for purity,’ remarks the artist, and indeed, he has achieved a sense of purity and originality by devising and executing an unconventional construction. The millstones are ‘threaded’ on to steel rods that remain separate from each other. Each rod is supported only by the frame below. At over four metres high, the rods, with their spinning tops, sway gracefully in space, evoking the suppleness of plant stems. In Urbanavičius’ vision, there is only space and rods, like a field of rye.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© VŠĮ „Lietuvos dailės fondas“

Vladas Urbanavičius (b. 1951) frequently employs what he refers to as ‘borrowed forms’ in his artistic practice, drawing his inspiration from materials and existing objects. Rather than striving to create something entirely new, the artist is driven by a desire to extend the previous life of these materials and objects, finding inspiration in their past. 69 Millstones arose from a practical necessity: to construct a barrier separating neighbouring properties. While addressing this practical task with millstones, he also set himself a conceptual challenge: to steer clear of ethnographic associations, and to reimagine the conventional use of millstones often found in exterior settings. ‘I aimed for purity,’ remarks the artist, and indeed, he has achieved a sense of purity and originality by devising and executing an unconventional construction. The millstones are ‘threaded’ on to steel rods that remain separate from each other. Each rod is supported only by the frame below. At over four metres high, the rods, with their spinning tops, sway gracefully in space, evoking the suppleness of plant stems. In Urbanavičius’ vision, there is only space and rods, like a field of rye.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
© VŠĮ „Lietuvos dailės fondas“