Lithuanian sculptor Rimantas Milkintas (b. 1977), one of the most prominent representatives of contemporary sculpture in the Baltic region, meets art enthusiasts in his first solo exhibition in Berlin, titled ‘Stages.’ Realized through a collaboration between SCHWARZ CONTEMPORARY and (AV17)GALLERY, the exhibition is open from April 17 to May 16, 2026. It showcases various phases of the artist’s creative evolution through four sculptures and one large-scale installation produced between 2004 and 2026.
A graduate of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Milkintas has been active since 2003, both in Lithuania and internationally in countries such as China, Germany, Hungary, and Italy. He builds his practice on a minimalist aesthetic and kinetic plasticity. Preferring industrial steel, plywood, and iron beams over traditional sculpting materials, the artist juxtaposes the physical properties of these materials—such as flexibility, durability, softness, or fragility—with individual human experiences. Milkintas’ open-ended constructions and the illusion of movement he creates in space combine rigid structural forms, inviting the viewer to engage in a direct dialogue with the architectural environment and experience a distinct visual tension.
The Stages exhibition focuses precisely on the “transitional states” at the center of this visual tension. For the artist, the undefined interval of time between events, forms, and conceptual contexts serves as an active creative space where new structures and meaningful connections emerge. Exhibited amidst global tensions and political upheavals, these sculptures gain a newfound relevance by touching upon themes such as the search for balance, the fragility of structures, and constant change. At the heart of the exhibition lies the monumental installation titled ‘Connection.’ By linking three separate elements within a taut system using a thick rope, it offers a powerful metaphor for how vital—yet vulnerable—the bonds between people, cultures, and experiences are today.
Recipient of Italy’s prestigious ‘Arnaldo Pomodoro’ contemporary sculpture prize, Milkintas invites the audience to witness these unique “stages” and “moments of transition” where tension, fragility, and the complex relationships between forms, materials, and experiences are revealed. Supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, this cultural exchange brings a potent example of industrial poetics to the Berlin art scene.
Exhibition Summary:
- Artist: Rimantas Milkintas
- Venue: SCHWARZ CONTEMPORARY, Berlin
- Dates: April 17 – May 16, 2026
- Key Themes: Industrial minimalism, kinetic plasticity, and the vulnerability of global connections.
