The author usually avoids going into her own personal territory but this exhibition is an exception. Perhaps this is because it is her first personal exhibition which, in a way, becomes her self-introduction. The main character depicted in her exhibition is the author herself and the period of time covered in her works is her own life. The plot compositions take you to the moments of the past, present and future. The three gallery spaces symbolically transform into different time periods where the author recalls the most important phenomena that had the biggest influence on her as an individual and artist; convey the states of the present and visualise the near future. The exhibit features numerous meaningful elements which provide deeper understanding of the author as a person including a variety of emotions and personal experiences, her background, her interactions and relationships, personal discoveries, memories and dreams. The author’s works reflect her interests that have influenced and continue to influence her artistic style, namely, underground culture, DC Comics and Marvel comic books and movies, animated series, fantasy, and science fiction, among many others. The works are permeated with humour, irony and sarcasm but at the same time they reveal the artist’s sentimental relationship with her family, traditions as well as friendship. The author intends her works to be seen as an open dialogue or a new acquaintanceship rather than an attention-seeking display of yet another self-centred and colourful personality and encourage people to look for commonalities and differences with their own lives as well as underlying connections between the exhibition and the author.
Typical motifs include large formats, unusual plots, vivid colours, deliberate incompleteness, imperfection, materiality, interaction and inter-disciplinary character. Since 2014, Justina (Pinky) Gražytė has been focusing on mixed media, art quilts and fabric art (commonly referred to as needlework). While “old vs new” is not a new theme in modern culture, traditional quilting is not a widespread technique and it is rarely transformed into new and modern forms of contemporary art familiar to and embraced by the audience. The author has deliberately selected this form of expression in order to broaden the perspective of contemporary textile in Lithuania, extend the interpretation of the quilting technique and make it current by using unexpected elements, fabrics, and forms, by combining them and at the same time establishing a personal creative identity of her as a textile artist.
Justina Gražytė (or Pinky, as her friends call her) graduated from the Faculty of Visual and Applied Arts, Vilnius Academy of Arts, with a Bachelor’s degree in Textile in 2010 and a Master’s degree in the same field in 2012. Prominent aspects of her extensive career include theatre, graphic design and gallery projects. Since 2008, she has been an active participant of cultural events and exhibitions. She has also worked as an exhibition curator. She initiates and works on various cultural and cultural education projects.