The Sex Appeal of the Inorganic

The Sex Appeal of the Inorganic borrows its title from philosopher Mario Perniola, whose thinking unsettles the distinction between the sensing body and supposedly insensible matter. Desire is no longer confined to the human subject but circulates between bodies, surfaces and things. The exhibition takes this ambiguity literally. Aluminium, alabaster, ceramic and glass become bodies, while fragments of bodies become functional objects: ceramic vessels are cast from legs; classical sculptures reappear as images embedded in lamps; stone and metal form vessels and candlesticks. Mantas Lesauskas (b. 1984, Vilnius, Lithuania) is a designer, artist, and researcher working across limited-edition furniture, sculptural objects, and material-based inquiry. He graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where he is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the MA Design Programme. His practice combines artisanal craftsmanship with industrial processes, exploring material agency, archetypes, rituals, and the relationships between objects, people, and places. Working with natural, reclaimed, and industrial materials, he investigates how objects carry traces of their geological, cultural, and political histories. His work moves between design, sculpture, and experimental archaeology, questioning established hierarchies between materials, objects, and their makers. His work has been exhibited internationally and is represented in private collections and national museum collections. Supported by: the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Lithuanian Council for Culture.