|
Cloth & Culture NOW
the artists - Egle Bogdaniene, Lithuania
It is hard to imagine our national roots
and elements of our local cultural heritage no longer existing
in today's world – a
total globalisation of art. At least the artists of my generation
and my environment seem to express this in one or another way – directly
or by association.
Sometimes traditions in Lithuanian art
are reflected automatically, somewhat intuitively, for example „Sokantys angelai“ [Dancing
Angels], sometimes intentionally based on childhood recollections,
the handicrafts created by our grandmothers, folk customs and traditions.
I spent my childhood in Soviet Lithuania, in the city of Vilnius.
Despite the occupation, Lithuanian traditions could not be erased
from our cultural life. I was also interested in the culture of
the old town, which is like a mix of the aesthetic sensibilities
of the ordinary local urban culture and that of the nobility. Modern
art has also had its impact. Artists now take part in joint projects,
communicate with colleagues and attend exhibitions. It is impossible
to insulate oneself from the environment, whether it be positive
or negative. In general, my works are biographical, not in the
direct way typical of the art of primitive societies, but like
some personal experience summarizing certain things and trying
to find a common denominator. I try to present the issues, topics
and problems that concern me so that they become important for
the viewer as well.
My work tends to highlight echoes from the art of other nations.
This is mostly related to my art studies and my trips to countries
in the East.
I think that being open to the world is
good in every sense. The only problem is that it can often be
expressed through artworks in quite a straightforward manner.
By this I mean that there is no subjective position for artists
in regard to generalizations about their experiences. An artwork
is like a baby – it is
important to carry it lovingly and give birth to it at the right
time.
Our country is a small one, and for more
than half of the last century it was actually deleted as a unit
in the global cultural context, since the art of the Soviet Union
was the dominant paradigm, despite the fact that the “tapestry of the Baltics” was
valued throughout the territory of the Soviet Union. At present,
I believe that our textile school is rather interesting and unique.
Maybe an unfavourable economic situation can even have a positive
impact – we do not have the latest equipment, nor expensive
materials – we have to follow our enthusiasm, be inventive
and creative. Considering that a lot of Lithuanians have received
awards at prestigious textile exhibitions in the last decade, I
think that Lithuanian textile art should be quite visible and should
have an influence.
I teach the history of textiles to my
students – we study
the emergence and development of the professional textile arts.
I adore the tapestries of the 13-16th centuries, such as . I think
that Lithuanians should be proud of the tapestry collections
of Duke Zygimantas the Old, Zygimantas Augustas – these collections are now
in Krakow, Lvov and Saint Petersburg. The old tapestries are simply
charming. One of my works „Dionizo puota“ [Dionysius’s
feast] was one of my attempts at touching upon these traditions.
I hope to continue this in the future.
LITHUANIA
|
