VILNIUS.- This autumn,
(AV17) Gallery, Vilnius, brings the work of internationally acclaimed Lithuanian artist Žilvinas Kempinas to Artissima 2026, one of Italy’s leading contemporary art fairs. The presentation will explore Kempinas’ distinctive approach to movement, perception, light and space, transforming familiar materials and physical forces into dynamic, often unexpectedly immersive visual experiences.
Based in New York since 1997, Kempinas has developed a practice that occupies a distinctive position between sculpture, installation and perception-based art. Magnetic tape, light, air, gravity and other seemingly simple elements become active participants in his work, producing situations that change according to the viewer’s movement and the surrounding environment.
At Artissima, AV17 Gallery will present a selection of Kempinas’ works exploring perception, movement and physical forces. Across the presentation, magnetic tape, air, gravity, light and geometry become active elements, creating works that shift between stability and movement, presence and disappearance.
This approach resonates with Artissima 2026’s theme, “Fancy: A Flexible, Acrobatic Body,” which explores art’s capacity to move across complexity, difference and new possibilities.
Fulcrum, 2026.
In Fulcrum, two loops of magnetic tape hover in midair through the airflow of a fan, creating a continuously renewed state of equilibrium between gravity and air. In Magnetic Field, precisely arranged magnetic tape produces reflections and optical vibration, changing in appearance as the viewer moves through the space. The ES (Electric Stars) series takes its titles from actual stars, but instead of representing them, uses geometry, light and perception to construct alternative spatial realities.
Together, the works transform familiar materials into dynamic perceptual experiences, making the viewer’s movement and position an integral part of the encounter.
A Lithuanian artist with an international language
Kempinas is one of Lithuania’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists. He represented Lithuania at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 and received the Calder Prize and Atelier Calder Residency Award in 2007, followed by the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts in 2012.
His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions including MoMA PS1, New York; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; and Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, alongside presentations at biennials and major international exhibitions.
His works are held in significant institutional and private collections including Centre Pompidou, Paris; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen; MUDAM, Luxembourg; the Margulies Collection, Miami; the Lithuanian National Museum of Art and MO Museum, Vilnius; and Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane.
Kempinas’ work is currently also being presented internationally in exhibitions including Worlds within Worlds – Baroque Traditions at Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane and L’ide des corps clestes at CCCOD in Tours, France.
Magnetic Field, 2026.
Bringing Lithuanian contemporary sculpture to Italy
Founded in Vilnius in 2011, (AV17) Gallery is Lithuania’s only gallery exclusively dedicated to contemporary object, sculpture and installation art. The gallery represents established and emerging artists whose practices expand the possibilities of three-dimensional and spatial art.
Since 2016, AV17 has increasingly focused on presenting Lithuanian artists internationally, participating in art fairs and cultural projects across Europe and beyond, including Berlin, New York, Basel and Turin.
Its participation at Artissima continues this international programme, bringing Lithuanian contemporary sculpture into dialogue with the Italian and wider international art market.
Artissima 2026
(AV17) Gallery — Booth 6, Red Line
Artissima 2026
30 October–1 November 2026
Preview: 29 October, by invitation
Oval Lingotto Fiere
Via Giacomo Matt Trucco 70
Turin, Italy
Artissima 2026 takes place from 30 October to 1 November at Turin’s Oval Lingotto Fiere. The fair’s 33rd edition brings together 183 galleries from 35 countries and combines its main sections with curated programmes focused on emerging practices, historical research and drawing.
