Gallery T.2 ArtVilnius'24

Hall 5. Stand number 5.43

Diffusion Backflow

The Diffusion Backflow is an important part of the marine ecosystem, based on the physics principle that particles move from a lower concentration to a higher concentration. It helps regulate climate, maintain nutrient chains and support marine biodiversity. This flow includes several coastal currents heading seawards and carries back into the sea the waters brought in by the waves. The Baltic Sea, which connects the countries of northern Europe, is an important part of the geographical, climatic and cultural identity that has shaped northern Europeans' way of life, communication, trade, distinctive worldview and mythology. The Baltic Sea is a vast organism responsible for ecological, social and cultural systems.

T.2 Gallery presents five painters of the younger generation at ArtVilnius'24: Kristina Asinus, Verdenė Monika Valkiūnaitė, Gabrielė Šermukšnytė, Rūta Matulevičiūtė and Akvilė Malukienė. Their different artistic expressions reflect a shared Lithuanian identity. One of its common features may be childhood holidays on the Baltic seaside. Verdenė Monika Valkiūnaitė's paintings show explorations of the world, as the author herself puts it, learning about insignificant details with a child's gaze. Gabrielė Šermukšnytė's paintings, with their enchanting images of glitter and beauty, speak of matter and consumer culture. Rūta Matulevičiūtė's works interpret this fairy tale as a utopian parallel reality, where pop culture intertwines with ancient traditions. Kristina Asinus draws knowledge and symbols from ancient cultures. By painting jungle flora and people using a spatula, she conveys information encoded in the collective consciousness in images. Akvilė Malukienė's new approach to painting by creating paintings with sand and other unconventional materials leads to the origins of consciousness and existence, the womb of darkness.

The seabed, almost inaccessible to the currents, is like a silent symbol of consciousness, where, alongside the sunken Curonian and Viking ships and the traces of their trade and battles, we can find the old primordial DNA cells responsible for the beginning of life on Earth. The work of the five authors is a unique reflection of Lithuanian cultural identity and the wider identity of the Baltic area. The climate zone, safe from natural disasters, has given rise to unique cultures whose proximity to nature is an important aspect of Nordic culture. Scandinavian minimalism and eco-innovation, intertwined with a high level of aesthetics, connect countries with similar geographical and social climates. Ideas travel by water, together with merchant ships, to neighbouring countries with which we share the Baltic coast.

As a conduit for ecological and cultural ideas, the Diffusive Backflow shapes the marine ecosystem and creates deep links between the countries of the Baltic region. Such exchanges contribute to the preservation and transmission of unique cultural identities and traditions. Carrying physical particles and symbolic fragments of culture, seawater helps us realise that we, as inhabitants of the region, are an integral part of a larger ecosystem and cultural network. The work of the artists presented by Gallery T.2 reflects the cultural uniqueness of the Baltic Sea region, forming a common identity in Northern Europe, where nature and man live in harmony. The Baltic Sea becomes the lifeblood of nature and culture, uniting communities across time and space.