Palanga Amber Museum opens Andrius Erminas’s Memory Chapel
Exhibition opening on Thursday, 23 September, at 4:0 PM
On Thursday, 23 September, at 4:0 PM, the Palanga Amber Museum (Vytauto St. 17) of the LNMA opens the Memory Chapel. The Sun Above the Cabbage Field, a site–specific installation by conceptual sculptor Andrius Erminas. Continuing his exploration into personal and collective memory, place, and identity, the artist shifts the meaning of commonplace materials towards the symbolic, fusing the site’s history with his personal experience to evoke visitors’ memories.
“I am delighted we present another solo exhibition by a talented artist at the Palanga Amber Museum. These unique in terms of design and content projects introduce variety into the usual narrative of our museum, they also enrich the long-term displays of amber and the artefacts of historic manor interiors. Our visitors are invited to return to our museum for a new type of experience,” says Dr Sigita Bagužaitė-Talačkienė, director of the Palanga Amber Museum of the LNMA.
From cabbage patch to personal memory archive
In his exhibition, Erminas bridges personal experience with an inquiry into the origins of human life: concrete casts of cabbage heads evoke the childhood myth of newborns found in a cabbage patch, while a sculptural cement disc suggests a seaside sunset. He transforms industrial materials into symbolical building blocks for his personal memory archives, inviting viewers to reflect on their own pasts, childhood memories, and subconscious images.
“Human memory changes and fades,” says the artist. “Material gives it form and permanence, a work of art transforms personal recollections into signs of time.”
The exhibition design connects the works with the museum environment, extending the narrative beyond the personal sphere. Sculptural pieces sit upon concrete sidewalk tiles that once paved pedestrian walkways in the town. These fragments deeply tied to the place history serve as the foundation of the exhibition. Nearby, an installation reminiscent of a stage curtain creates a striking transition from one room to another, guiding the visitor’s gaze and movement.
Finding unexpected meaning in the commonplace
Andrius Erminas (b. 1971) earned his BA in fresco-mosaic and an MA in sculpture from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In his conceptual sculpture, objects and installations, the artist uses everyday items and commonplace industrial materials shifting their value and meaning toward the symbolical. The artist uses his own experience to explore themes of memory, individuality, authorship, and the relationships between humans, the environment, and culture. Characterized by contrast and transformation, his art places familiar objects along the threshold between the real and the surreal, challenging viewers to reconsider their own perceptions of the familiar.
The artist has received several state art grants and has been repeatedly awarded for his innovative art. He has held over twenty solo exhibitions and has participated in group shows across Lithuania, Great Britain, Ukraine, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, and elsewhere. His works are in private collections in Lithuania and abroad, as well as the MO Museum in Vilnius. Erminas is represented by (AV17) Gallery.
Memory Chapel. The Sun Above the Cabbage Field runs at the Palanga Amber Museum until 18 April 2027. Exhibition tours and education events will invite visitors to enhance their understanding of the conceptual artist’s work. Please visit the LNMA website and social media for information on these events.
17 Vytauto st, LT-00101, Palanga, Lithuania
(+370 460) 30314
gintaro.muziejus@lndm.lt
