Danielius Sodeika. Midway upon the journey of our life…

Artist would prefer to remain silent. He would trust an art object to tell everything.

Artworks of Danielius Sodeika are self-purposed. He doesn‘t make them for himself nor others. They appear to be more like questions leaning towards, like the way to check up if the impulse of the vector has continuance.

With this question artist puts no obligation on a spectator, but rather it is timid wish not to become self-satisfied and search for resonance and relevancy. At his remote homestead near Zapyškis – city sounds fade away, but the inner voice emphasizes, history opens and gains its meaning, importance of authentic connection with surroundings, cultural context and spectator raises.
Artworks exhibited here are created during 2018-2020. Small-scale sculptural objects from wood, metal, household elements or findings. With their form they remind religious, cultural or archetypal symbols. Storyline is more than in the objects themselves, but also in the spaces between – as signs of invisible power – that tightens chain and breaks the log. Probably it is artist’s way to speak about finality and inevitable entropy – because when it comes – it dominates over all demolishes all other meanings.

Some artworks are accumulations of time and stories – „Cup of the Prophet of Death“ is filled with bullets collected from the soil in the neighborhood. Some of them might have be laying there since Napoleon times, some have pierced live flesh and brought death. Other artworks are nature‘s ready-mades with just a little touch of an artist‘s hands – „Fracture“ I-II or „Shield“ – body of tree with a poem inside – for the one who is hiding behind

–
„Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost”.

(Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
(From The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

In 2021 will be celebrated 700 th death anniversary of Dante Alighieri and Danielius Sodeika will turn 60. In this exhibition instead of festive jubilee retrospective Danielius Sodeika makes a quiet stop to look around.

* Due to the increasing infections of COVID-19 and current regulations Meno Parkas gallery is closed for visitors until further notice. It will be possible to view exhibition online on gallery’s social media.