A Hook and Rings

The sculpture is undoubtedly connected with The Hook, which became an iconic symbol of Vilnius after being embedded in the facade of the Railway Workers’ Palace in 1994. However, while the context and its relationship with the historic building are crucial for our understanding of The Hook, the sculpture A Hook and Rings presents sculptural forms in a simpler manner: massive and industrial, and yet retaining a sense of variability and potential change. The rings resemble giant toys that could be rearranged on the hook in a different order. Unlike The Hook on the Railway Workers’ Palace, which may evoke a sense of danger when suspended overhead, the hook on the ground exudes a much calmer and more domestic vibe, offering the possibility of playing with forms, if not in reality, then at least in the imagination. The artist’s continued interest in playing with ‘interlaced’ forms is evident in his later works. In 2007 and 2008, Mindaugas Navakas (b. 1951) created the sculpture A New Coat Hanger, which combines industrial, rust-covered metal with a beam ending in a hook. A shiny steel pipe hangs from it, creating a contrast of surfaces, textures and colours. A Hook and Rings was first exhibited in 1993 at the sculptor’s solo exhibition ‘Mindaugas Navakas at the Contemporary Art Centre’. The exhibition was the first time that the sculpture, along with other objects made from various materials, was shown freely in the building and its surroundings. In 2014, it was shown at Navakas’ exhibition ‘Glory Was at the Fingertips’ at the National Gallery of Art.

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“

The sculpture is undoubtedly connected with The Hook, which became an iconic symbol of Vilnius after being embedded in the facade of the Railway Workers’ Palace in 1994. However, while the context and its relationship with the historic building are crucial for our understanding of The Hook, the sculpture A Hook and Rings presents sculptural forms in a simpler manner: massive and industrial, and yet retaining a sense of variability and potential change. The rings resemble giant toys that could be rearranged on the hook in a different order. Unlike The Hook on the Railway Workers’ Palace, which may evoke a sense of danger when suspended overhead, the hook on the ground exudes a much calmer and more domestic vibe, offering the possibility of playing with forms, if not in reality, then at least in the imagination. The artist’s continued interest in playing with ‘interlaced’ forms is evident in his later works. In 2007 and 2008, Mindaugas Navakas (b. 1951) created the sculpture A New Coat Hanger, which combines industrial, rust-covered metal with a beam ending in a hook. A shiny steel pipe hangs from it, creating a contrast of surfaces, textures and colours. A Hook and Rings was first exhibited in 1993 at the sculptor’s solo exhibition ‘Mindaugas Navakas at the Contemporary Art Centre’. The exhibition was the first time that the sculpture, along with other objects made from various materials, was shown freely in the building and its surroundings. In 2014, it was shown at Navakas’ exhibition ‘Glory Was at the Fingertips’ at the National Gallery of Art.

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“