On 24 April, the single-artwork gallery ‘apiece’ presents ‘Subsurface’, a collaborative installation by Emilija Povilanskaitė and Clara Schweers. Known for their distinct yet complementary approaches to material, form, and symbolism, the artists come together in this new work to explore the tensions between technological, geological and biological fields.
The artists describe the concept and specifics of their new work as follows:
At the heart of the installation is an embryo – suspended, encased, and pulsing with energy. Like the Earth’s core beneath layers of shifting crust, it is held within a system of protective enclosures. The piece evokes a metaphor of geological and biological nesting: a womb within the earth, a nucleus inside a shell, life suspended in warmth and tension. A central, three-layered glass structure houses the embryo, glowing with neon gas that evokes the heat of magma, the radiance of the sun, and the spark of new life. Two vertical tubes extend from this core – vein-like or spinal – delivering rhythmic pulses of energy. These glowing arteries animate the form, suggesting a continuous cycle of breath, growth, and emergence.
The materials used in ‘Subsurface’ – glass, neon gas, silver coatings, white cables, and transformers – are recurring elements in the artists’ practice, combining organic imagery with technological mechanisms. Though the forms are crafted from traditional glass, they are far from static; they shift states, moving from transparent to reflective, from stillness to radiance. In other words, the sculpture operates as a living system, mirroring embryonic development, geological pressure, and electrical circulation. It invites reflection on containment and exposure, the unseen forces that nurture and protect, and the delicate balance between fragility and strength.
Emilija Povilanskaitė is a visual artist and film director. Her work – rooted in storytelling – is multifaceted, connecting technology, science, research and olfactory design. Through her immersive visual and olfactory installations and films, she explores the complexity of technology, fictional worlds and their effect on human perception.
Underpinned by a strong interest in myth-making and folklore, unexplained phenomena, and forgotten traditional rituals, the artist offers sensory paths that, through fiction and imagination, may allow us to reevaluate and reaffirm our place as sentient beings amidst the current socio-cultural conjuncture, which sees the cult of the image and the screen reign supreme.
In a time when the Internet has reinforced the hegemony of the image, Emilija uses her approach to create olfactory and visual spaces that communicate on an imaginary, multi-sensorial, and tangible level, making us the more aware of the (real) world which surrounds us, as well as the varying relationships we may entertain with it (whether in states of perceived danger, fear, or hallucination).
Clara Schweers (b. 1994) skillfully intertwines the digital with the tactile, pushing the boundaries of contemporary art and design. Her practice exists as a dialogue between the virtual and the tangible. This exploration began during her influential time at Design Academy Eindhoven. While there, she explored the capabilities and limitations of computer-generated forms. Her work transforms and reinterprets the movement of pre-modeled figures. It unveils new behavioural qualities that seem to emerge directly from their digital roots.
Within her work, Schweers harmoniously blends various mediums, including glass, ceramics, and the polished textures of digital renderings. Glass serves as a consistent element, guiding her exploration of fluidity and permanence.
Exhibition curators: Milena Černiakaitė and Aušra Trakšelytė
Graphic design: Marek Voida
Text translated by: Martynas Galkus
Exhibition is financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Exhibition open until 1 June 2025
More about the gallery: www.apiece.lt
