Zilvinas Kempinas

Žilvinas Kempinas was born in Plungė, Lithuania, in 1969 and lives and works in New York.

Žilvinas Kempinas’s practice explores movement, perception, and the sculptural potential of simple materials, drawing on the legacies of Kinetic Art and Op Art. Since the 1990s, magnetic videotape has been his signature medium, transformed into delicate, animated sculptures activated by the airflow of electric fans. Suspended between stability and collapse, these floating ribbons trace hypnotic circles, loops, and lemniscates that appear to defy gravity. By harnessing invisible physical forces, Kempinas creates works that are at once ephemeral and persistent, inviting viewers to experience sculpture as a dynamic and ever-changing phenomenon.  

During his residency at Atelier Calder, Kempinas, recipient of the 2007 Calder Prize, continued his investigation of movement, balance, and spatial perception by creating Tube (2008), a large-scale installation that occupied the entire studio. Activated by airflow and shaped by physical forces, the work transformed the space into an immersive environment where sculpture existed through motion rather than mass, inviting viewers into an experience that was both physical and poetic.