Physical Culture: Augustas Serapinas Turns Classical Sculpture Into Gym Equipment

Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas brings art school and gym culture together in Physical Culture, an itinerant installation where classical busts become weights, benches double as sculptural objects and visitors are invited to exercise among easels and steel training machines. First conceived in 2012 while Serapinas was studying sculpture at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, the work has continually evolved as it travels between galleries and other unexpected settings.

The idea grew from Serapinas’ experience with traditional art education, where students repeatedly draw and sculpt from plaster casts to develop their technique. He saw a parallel with the repetitive routines of physical training, with both practices relying on discipline, repetition and muscle memory in pursuit of an ideal form. In Physical Culture, replicas of sculptures such as Michelangelo’s David and the Apollo Belvedere are attached to fully functional fitness equipment, transforming iconic symbols of art history into literal weights to be lifted, pushed and pulled.

Previous versions have appeared at Frieze London, Art Basel and, more recently, the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius and aboard a barge in Nida, Lithuania. The latest iteration now spans two galleries at Nottingham Contemporary, where the installation is activated through fitness sessions, life drawing classes and community workshops. Physical Culture is on view through September 13, 2026.

Images: Dovaldė Butėnaitė, Danas Macijauskas, Jonas Balsevičius and Tautvytas Stukas.

More art on the grid via Nottingham Contemporary