Teeth 2

In a 1992 interview with Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė, Mindaugas Navakas (b. 1952) said that size is one of the fundamental elements shaping the structure of the Universe. Three years later, Kęstutis Kuizinas, the director of the Contemporary Art Centre, remarked that Navakas’ sculptures are not merely large, they are always slightly oversize. This observation aptly captures the monumental quality of Navakas’ granite sculptures, which exude an almost overwhelming force. Massive triangles, standing almost eight metres high and thrust into the ground, evoke the image of dragon’s teeth, like those sown by Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece, from which armed warriors sprang forth. While this cultural association may arise involuntarily, it probably has little relevance to the sculptor himself. Navakas is driven by a quest for power rather than aesthetics. His sculptures emanate a force and a vitality that compelled him to confront the challenges of working with granite, effectively eschewing the decorative tendencies prevalent in the 1980s. He once remarked: ‘Encountering the material, i.e. granite, had a profound effect on me. I can’t explain why I was drawn to it. I appreciated its hardness. The challenge it presented in subduing it. Somehow, I liked the challenge.’* This ongoing confrontation with granite, his eternal rival, serves as a constant reminder of his own power, with stones of varying colours, split and with uneven edges, serving as tangible remnants of the struggle, akin to relics on a battlefield.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* From a conversation with Deimantas Narkevičius, Vilnius, CAC, 2001, pp. 10–12.

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

In a 1992 interview with Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė, Mindaugas Navakas (b. 1952) said that size is one of the fundamental elements shaping the structure of the Universe. Three years later, Kęstutis Kuizinas, the director of the Contemporary Art Centre, remarked that Navakas’ sculptures are not merely large, they are always slightly oversize. This observation aptly captures the monumental quality of Navakas’ granite sculptures, which exude an almost overwhelming force. Massive triangles, standing almost eight metres high and thrust into the ground, evoke the image of dragon’s teeth, like those sown by Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece, from which armed warriors sprang forth. While this cultural association may arise involuntarily, it probably has little relevance to the sculptor himself. Navakas is driven by a quest for power rather than aesthetics. His sculptures emanate a force and a vitality that compelled him to confront the challenges of working with granite, effectively eschewing the decorative tendencies prevalent in the 1980s. He once remarked: ‘Encountering the material, i.e. granite, had a profound effect on me. I can’t explain why I was drawn to it. I appreciated its hardness. The challenge it presented in subduing it. Somehow, I liked the challenge.’* This ongoing confrontation with granite, his eternal rival, serves as a constant reminder of his own power, with stones of varying colours, split and with uneven edges, serving as tangible remnants of the struggle, akin to relics on a battlefield.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* From a conversation with Deimantas Narkevičius, Vilnius, CAC, 2001, pp. 10–12.

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