Artwork in the room
Martynas Ivinskas is an artist born in Kaunas, Lithuania, and currently living and working between Vilnius and Brussels. His practice moves freely between painting, drawing, objects, collage and assemblage, deliberately resisting strict boundaries between artistic forms and media.
Ivinskas is drawn to what surrounds him: the city, people, music, architecture, everyday objects, and the constant visual noise of contemporary life. He observes his environment, breaks it down into fragments, and reconstructs it into new, sometimes absurd, sometimes playful, but always distinctly personal forms. In his work, order is constantly confronted with chaos, while reality meets imagination.
The city becomes a kind of playground in Ivinskas's practice. Musicians, instruments, buildings, human figures, signs, and fragments of everyday life overlap, repeat, and intertwine, forming complex visual networks. Rather than asking the viewer simply to "read" an artwork, Ivinskas invites them to get lost in it - to search for familiar forms, create their own associations, and discover something they may not have been looking for in the first place.
He frequently works with unconventional surfaces and materials, ranging from city maps to jute coffee sacks and everyday objects. In his practice, a painting can move beyond the canvas, a collage can become an object, and an ordinary item can acquire an entirely different life. This unrestricted relationship with materials and media is central to his creative approach.
Ivinskas's exhibitions function as works in their own right. Individual paintings, objects, and fragments are deliberately brought together into visually intense, sometimes chaotic environments. Art critic Paulius Garbačiauskas has described this approach as a "fragmented reality" - a carefully constructed chaos in which chance becomes part of the artistic method.
Ivinskas has presented solo exhibitions in Lithuania and the United States, including DUO 02/16 at Hangar Gallery in Santa Monica, 10'000 signatures at gallery Building Bridges Art Exchange in Santa Monica, Colorful Society at Bruce Lurie Gallery in Los Angeles, and …on the maps at Vilnius City Hall. His work has also been presented internationally in group exhibitions, including exhibitions at the Louvre in Paris and Times Square in New York.
Ivinskas's work is difficult to define through a single technique, medium, or stylistic vocabulary. And that is not a problem to be solved. On the contrary, the freedom to choose, combine, and experiment is one of the defining characteristics of his practice.
About this artwork+
The painting is a riotous explosion of colors and forms that together create an almost chaotic, yet vividly captivating scene. Dominated by fiery reds, oranges, and yellows, these warm colors swirl around a central arched structure that resembles an enormous, ornate window or perhaps a doorway, framed in golden yellow. Through this structure, an eerie reddish glow and the outlines of a cross-like pattern can be seen, suggesting either a window looking out onto a tumultuous sky or perhaps a reflection. Surrounding this central motif are numerous figures depicted in a variety of deep blues, greens, and earth tones, their shapes twisted and exaggerated. Their faces are obscured or indistinct, making them appear almost ghostly or mask-like, contributing to the overall surreal quality of the scene. The figures' arms, depicted in dynamic, sweeping gestures, rise up towards the center or flail outwards, as if caught in a moment of intense emotion or upheaval. Intriguing textures overlay much of the composition, adding depth and a tactile quality that suggests movement and vibrancy. Circles and spiral patterns in the background hint at a deeper symbolism, perhaps alluding to chaos, cosmos, or the personal turmoil of the figures. The dynamic brushwork reinforces the sense of urgency and drama that pervades the painting.
