Ovalas: Ramutis Petniūnas

Ramūnas Petniūnas' installation OVALAS (THE OVAL), which will be part of the Lithuanian season in France this September, will be presented to the public on Friday, March 15, at 6 p.m.

The work employs the language of contemporary art to introduce the tradition of Lithuanian cross-crafting, honored by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and attempts to indirectly uncover the foundations of our existence. OVALAS is an invitation to a contemplative journey through time, intertwining routes of culture, faith, and personal identity.

About 250 Lithuanian crosses with crucifixes, dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, hang inside the structure, which is approximately 4 meters wide and 4 meters high. Most of the crosses are the so-called "home crosses" or "God's sufferings". In the past, these crosses adorned almost every home, were cherished and valued - they were passed down from generation to generation as the greatest family relic and symbol of protection.

The crosses are “torn out" from their usual presentation format just as they were once "torn out" from homes. Scattered across Lithuania in the past, used individually and very personally, here the crosses overwhelm the viewer as a nameless, menacing crowd. You feel trapped in this enclosure, forced to engage and react very personally.
It is symbolic that the work is exhibited close to Easter, becoming a painfully open and personal question about one's roots, about the relationship with what was before and perhaps what is above.

Ramutis Petniūnas (b.  1969) has been engaging with the art world in a fluid and unpretentious manner for over three decades. While predominantly recognized as a collector, he has also explored the realm of artistic creation. Petniūnas' works were selected to represent Lithuania in Turku, the European Capital of Culture in 2011, and were also acclaimed as laureates at the In Focus international photography festival in 2010. His creative endeavors are deeply influenced by his collection, particularly by sculptures of Lithuanian folk art, which act as his principal muses and companions in his artistic journey.

 The project is partially funded by: Lithuanian Culture Council, Vilnius City Municipality

Organised by: Meshka Tech

Project partners: Galerija VARTAI