Collaborative Exhibition (Artscape Mentorship Program 2024) was held at MO muziejus, June 13th, 2024.
‘We were very excited to introduce the participants of Artscape Mentorship Program to Lithuania’s art and cultural ecosystem; and to introduce previously undiscovered creators to the cultural organizations,’ said Aistė Ulubey, founder and director of the arts agency Artscape.
During the exhibition, refugees artists showcased individual art pieces created specifically for this showcase.
⭕ “Scorching Grounds” by Kseniia Buryka (@kseniyaburyka)
Bioplastic
The object is made of starch-based bioplastic. The sculpture is a collective image of the past and present landscapes that surround me. It’s very fragile and will be destroyed by time. Sometimes I work with children, and I noticed that they really like this game where they imagine the floor is very hot like lava, so you can’t step on it.
It seemed to me that this game is very reminiscent of the realities of my country, Ukraine. It is impossible to walk through beloved territories due to minefields or war.
⭕ Painting by Karrar
Oil, canvas
⭕ “Would you wish to be a girl or a fish?” by Sofiia Boichenko (@sof.boi)
Acrylic, canvas
The legend of the little mermaid always confused me – why would such a majestic creature want to give away its tail and life underwater only to become an ordinary human? The weird, magical people, who do not fit into society, would cut off parts of themselves to be “normal”, however, still suffocating.
The mermaid is inspired by the Ukrainian folk creature “rusalka” – a water spirit of a girl who died before marriage or from drowning herself. They used their beauty to lure young men underwater, being jealous of the living people.
⭕ “Healing” by Oleksandra Mazurenko (@olexandrama)
Stone, needle, thread
“Healing” talks about the terrible experience of war, which traumatizes a person for many years. I draw an analogy with a deliberately made hole in a stone, as a symbol of what war is and its consequences. Needle and thread symbolize the desire and difficulty of sewing up this trauma.
The work “Healing” is a research of the inner pain caused by the war events in Ukraine. Creating this installation I was thinking about the strength of my people and the state we are experiencing now. We all have that hole inside, but we stay strong.
⭕ “Rehabilitation” by Katya Kononenko (@katya_kononenko_art)
Textile, photography, plaster
Clothes keep our memories, history, events, emotions, and thoughts. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I relocated to Lithuania. I was wearing a pink sports suit during my few days’ trip to the last safe point. This pink costume is associated with hard relocation, war, and sorrow. I didn’t have much clothing to change every time, so I decided to reanimate the suit from harmful memories. I wore it walking in the forest, went on vacations, traveled across Lithuania, and did food and art supplies shopping in it. By rehabilitating my pink suit, I rehabilitated myself.
⭕ Sculpture by Aliaksandra Triatsikova (@sanyatrrr)
Papier-mâché, gypsum plaster, and tempera
Building a life in emigration often comes with an identity crisis. It’s even stronger if you go abroad alone and have no way back home. You don’t know how to build new connections while the old ones fade. You forget who you were, if you had any dreams and goals, if you were happy, if there was anything valuable about you. It makes you afraid to approach others because, being vulnerable and sensitive, you’re so scared of rejection.
The Collaborative Exhibition at MO muziejus was created by individual art pieces of artists participating in the Artscape Mentorship Programme 2024.
The “Artscape” mentorship program powered by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is the first cultural educational initiative aimed at promoting creative activity among artists and creators who have found refuge in Lithuania.
October 15, 2024