Keep your sentences short
Keep your sentences short, a work series on cycles, human relationship to the temporary, the unknown and the collective has been initially created and produced for a group show Saudade that took place at The Energy and Technology Museum in Vilnius in 2022. The series consists of 9 textile pieces pondering on different forms of publishing.
On theme: Works presented in the Saudade exhibition form a collection of poetic instructions gathered over a year-long period. Written sentences act as a tool and a reference to the themes of cyclicality, eternal change, human relationship to temporality, death, the unknown and the collective. Traditionally positive wishes for the future contained in fortune cookies, and banner culture that expresses a clear position are used as starting points for a series of works. Thoughts and heartfelt words found in personal notes, books and films are transformed to banners exploring different formats of publishing and carrying a reference to the quest for togetherness, reminding of the inevitable interconnectedness of people. The interchanging statements and questions ponder upon personal responsibility and commitment to others, noting the importance of choice as an action. Condensed sentences are presented as a source of information, teetering on the brink of a mantra, bringing a promise of frankness and dialogue to oneself and others.
On the show: Saudade, like a postcard full of longing, examines the cycle of life, temporariness and the familiar speculations of the future. Living in a world full of anxiety and manipulations, five exhibited artists raise the questions: how does today’s relationship with the environment change tomorrow’s? Where are we going and what will be left behind?
Through paintings, drawings, objects, texts and installations, the exhibition presents the theme of time and interrelationships from different perspectives. In the Energy and Technology Museum in Vilnius, against the backdrop of the interwoven pipelines, these works evoke associations with humanity’s insatiable hunger to seek progress by depleting Earth’s natural resources. However, by doing so, we are on the verge of annihilating humanity. In the face of tomorrow, the search for hope becomes one of the essential aspects of the exhibition. The anxiety and fear of losing what we still have today becomes a daily reminder that what the world needs is not separation, but togetherness. Hope, interrelationships and longing for the past form the three main axes of the exhibition, and dialogue becomes the point of intersection of all of them. During the creation of the exhibition, the artists worked in four countries, in different time zones, and despite the recurring difficulties of such a process, they managed to foster hope and belief that in order for creativity to flourish, everyone must be willing to participate. Being aware of the complex creative process and the challenges that arise during it, the authors allow their works to acts as witnesses to the hardships we face today and the exhibition serves as another reminder to be present, here and now.
Through paintings, drawings, objects, texts and installations, the exhibition presents the theme of time and interrelationships from different perspectives. In the Energy and Technology Museum in Vilnius, against the backdrop of the interwoven pipelines, these works evoke associations with humanity’s insatiable hunger to seek progress by depleting Earth’s natural resources. However, by doing so, we are on the verge of annihilating humanity. In the face of tomorrow, the search for hope becomes one of the essential aspects of the exhibition. The anxiety and fear of losing what we still have today becomes a daily reminder that what the world needs is not separation, but togetherness. Hope, interrelationships and longing for the past form the three main axes of the exhibition, and dialogue becomes the point of intersection of all of them. During the creation of the exhibition, the artists worked in four countries, in different time zones, and despite the recurring difficulties of such a process, they managed to foster hope and belief that in order for creativity to flourish, everyone must be willing to participate. Being aware of the complex creative process and the challenges that arise during it, the authors allow their works to acts as witnesses to the hardships we face today and the exhibition serves as another reminder to be present, here and now.
Exhibition team: Eimantė Čekauskaitė, Valentina Černiauskaitė, Elžbieta Upė Rozanovaitė, Laura Marija Šalkauskienė, Aušra Turskytė. Curated by Martynas Pekarskas and Deinora Rudėnaitė. Many thanks to Juozapas Švelnys for advice on exhibition architecture and installing the show.
Exhibition details: 4 October 2022 – 4 December 2022, The Energy and Technology Museum Vilnius.
Image credits: Marija Brusokaitė, Eglė Davidavičė, Deinora Rudėnaitė.
