The exhibition ‘Inland’ by Simona Merijauskaitė is opening on the 12th of February at 6 PM at Pamėnkalnio Gallery (1 Pamėnkalnio St., Vilnius). The exhibition will run until March 8th.
After several years of absence, Simona Merijauskaitė returns to Vilnius to present her new series of paintings, Inland. In this solo exhibition, the artist invites us to rethink the images and structures of the collective unconscious, as well as their relevance and meaning today.
The exhibition turns its entire self towards the inner space, where Carl Gustav Jung’s philosophy is used as a map to work with the forms that hover at the edges of consciousness. The main motif of the works – stone – gives the artist access to vibrant historical, spiritual and natural dimensions. The artist pays particular attention to painting as a thought process, to the search for sculptural and monumental form and to the space of the painting.
- Simona Merijauskaitė. Photo by G. Plonienė
“I seek the origins of the archetype through my own experience and the ruins of the first civilisations. In the process of creation, the images of the paintings flickered just out of the corner of my eye, in the periphery. That peripheral space is close to the work of David Lynch, which is why my series has been given this name. A mystical coincidence,” said Merijauskaitė.
The flow of thought in the Inland series organically complements the themes of sexuality, transformation, loneliness, connection and interaction, which have already been explored in the artist’s work. Combining painting, land art and video, Merijauskaitė builds Nordic images saturated with metaphysics.
- Simona Merijauskaitė ‘INLAND II’. Oil on canvas, 1,7 x4,4 m, 2024
Simona Merijauskaitė is an abstract painter who graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 2017. Her paintings have been previously exhibited in Poland, Latvia, Meno Parkas Gallery, Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre, Artists’ Association Gallery, Arka Gallery and other spaces. In 2021, the artist was awarded the Luxembourg Art Prize certificate, which has encouraged further development of her chosen creative direction. She was awarded a Lithuanian Culture Grant for the Inland series of paintings, and the Council’s experts gave her an excellent evaluation of her work. Currently, the painter lives and works in the Žemaitija region, contributing to the professional art beyond the borders of the major cities.
Special thanks to: Gintarė Romeikaitė, Airida Rekštytė, Karolina Bagdonė, Vytenis Bagdonas, Rytis Urbanskas.
Organiser: Pamėnkalnio Gallery.
Sponsors: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Lithuanian Artists’ Association.
The exhibition is part of the programme of the 90th anniversary of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association.
The exhibition is included in the cultural route of the Vilnius City Su-menėk initiative: Pamėnkalnio Gallery will be accessible by a free Su-menėk bus on all February weekends. Gallery opening hours during Su-menėk: II-V 11:00-19:00, VI 11:00-18:00, VII 13:00-16:00.
