In the Shadow of Knowledge. Sculpture Pre-context “We also hold what resides in the shadow of knowledge,” remarked Vladas Urbanavičius, one of Lithuania’s most renowned sculptors, in conversation with the art critic Alfonsas Andriuškevičius. This idea defines the concept of the exhibition, which presents sculpture as a direct, sensory experience. Sculpture in the shadow of knowledge invites viewers to encounter sculptural objects before contextualizing their themes or meanings. Here, the emphasis is on the intrinsic properties of sculpture – its spatial presence, materiality, and emotional impact – elements we perceive immediately, before engaging in rational analysis and starting to “read” the work like a book. The exhibition unfolds in three sections: space, material, and dream. It features works from the TARTLE collection, spanning the 19th to the 21st centuries, with a strong focus on classical and modernist Lithuanian sculpture. Complementing these pieces are contemporary sculptures from artists’ private collections, which challenge tradition and invite new ways of seeing – offering moments of surprise and discovery.

Although Kazimiera Zimblytė-Kazė (1933–1999) and Rose Lowder (b. 1941) lived and worked around the same time, the two artists never met. They were part of different contexts: Zimblytė spent most of her life in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, while Lowder has spent much of hers primarily in Western Europe. Their disciplines also diverge – Zimblytė is best known as a painter and Lowder continues to work in experimental cinema. Yet, despite their differing circumstances, the artists share a common ground: through abstract expression both ask how we see and experience the world. Three works by Kazė Zimblytė from the TARTLE collection have been lent for the exhibition.