Evelina Paukštytė | SPECIAL FUNDS
Retrospective exhibition
Opening: April 16th, 2024, 6 p.m. gallery Akademija, Pilies St. 44, Vilnius
2024 04 16 – 2024 05 02
Retrospective exhibitions have always seemed to me a rather sad event, symbolizing an inevitable end and turning back. It's as if we know that the end of human form is inevitable, yet we naively hope to escape or at least postpone it into the future. The future is unwritten and anything can happen. So, we are left with hope, providing comfort and accumulated memories that fill seemingly all the corners, creating an imaginary perception of ourselves.
The exhibition will consist of watercolors and various art objects.
From 2007 to 2013, I intensely painted watercolors. This is my "pre-acrylic" period of creativity. In 2008, I defended my Master's thesis, presenting these watercolor-illustrations from the series "Waiting for the Horse". The watercolors are of the same format (76 x 56 cm) and divided into three series: "Waiting for the Horse", "Smile, Naive", "Ultimate Circus". Some of them have been purchased by private collectors or lost somewhere forever.
Objects in my oeuvre represent a new direction, kind of creative experiment. Reviewing the archives left by my Father, the stories of the past unfolded before my eyes and heart, evoking uncontrollable laughter, tears, wonder, and forgotten stories. He never threw anything away, he kept and stored everything: notes written in the nineties, postcards, elementary school report cards, paper coffee cups with written dates (I remember drinking coffee at the Vilnius bus station, waiting for the bus to Panevėžys), and so on. So much of everything, maybe even too much... Genuine aesthetics of the past, intimately intertwining inner dialogues. It trembles, curls up... indeed – too many various codes, passwords. Silence, in which you hear how quietly an old thermos flask or perfume bottle murmurs, and you understand that there are no single Me, that I consist of thousands of elements, converging into one huge, incomprehensible picture. Just learn to listen and rush nowhere anymore...
This exhibition is dedicated to my father who passed away last year – scientist, the greatest optimist and my inspiration. This is my most naked, intimate, and sensitive exhibition I have ever held. You are invited to come!
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Evelina Paukštytė (born 1980, Panevėžys) is a graphic artist based in Vilnius. She completed her Bachelor's (2006) and Master's (2008) studies at the Graphics Department of the Vilnius Art Academy. In 2001 Paukstyte graduates from Kaunas Art School, receiving ceramics maker diploma and sculptor’s Juozas Zikaras Main Award of the year for graduation work – sculptoral composition Tree of the World.
After completing her studies, Paukštytė worked for ten years as a graphic designer in philatelic department of the Lithuanian Post. She was responsible philatelic publishing process, as well as the creation and release of various print products, designing hundreds of postage stamps, stamps, envelopes, postcards, etc.
Since 2018, the artist has been focusing only on making art in her studio. Painting and illustration are Paukštyte's main creative activities, but she also creates various objects, sculptures, installations, and experiments with new technologies.
Paukštytė's art is a subtle resistance to the monotony of everyday life, where desperate actions come to the forefront, and artificial smiles conceal the true essence. It encompasses the eternal search for happiness and meaning, addressing the darkest fears and tensions that lurk behind bright colors and cheerful images.
The artist regularly organizes her solo shows, participates in group exhibitions, and art fairs.
E. Paukštytė was chosen as Audience Select Artist of ArtVilnius’23.
