Inserted

Onė Austėja Maldonytė “Inserted“ Onė Austėja Maldonytė's solo exhibition "Inserted" explores the limits of ceramic possibilities and themes of constant change that are important to her. The artist analyzes the continuous formation through the process of creating ceramic sculptures. Ceramics, often perceived as finite, is extended in Onė Austėja Maldonytė's work using metal structures, wax, and paraffin, thus acquiring new forms and the potential for incompleteness. The sculptural objects appear to be like shells or skeletons - organic, yet unnameable forms - reminiscent of relics of the past. They are complemented by a small decor of linear ornaments, combining into peculiar maps that immortalize the flow of thoughts. For her latest exhibition “Inserted”, Onė Austėja Maldonytė chooses a unique space in which she explores the relationship between organisms and water. The ceramic objects exhibited in a no longer used underground reservoir intertwine with each other and intervene in the environment. By connecting ceramic parts with paraffin, using natural wax and flax, the artist creates organic abstract forms that allow us to read the subtle connections between various life forms. The ceramist steps back from the commonly understood need for liquids and focuses on growth, the transfer of substances from one organism to another and the creation of a safe environment for development. From the beginning of evolution, the first verses of the Bible, to a baby in its mother’s womb, a plant in the ground, or a city’s water supply system – water is the most important part of development that allowed various life forms to begin. The relations between the works, which are born and grow from each other, with the local context strengthens this continuous connection with water and its universal importance. Sensitively adapting to the space of the reservoir, the artist creates a mystical environment in which one cannot remain indifferent and becomes a part of it. In Onė Austėja Maldonytė's exhibition, the viewer is drawn into a unique atmosphere and encouraged to draw correlations between man and the nature surrounding him. Onė Austėja Maldonytė (b. 1995) is a young-generation artist based in Lithuania and Norway. The artist constantly tests the limits of ceramic art and the materials used, experimenting with various techniques and tools, sometimes not at all typical to ceramics, like wax. The artist's work is characterized by sensitivity to the exhibition space and the search for installed/displaced art. Onė Austė Maldonytė 2018 completed bachelor's studies in ceramics at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, 2022 - master's studies at the National Academy of Arts in Oslo (Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo). She actively participates in group and personal exhibitions, both in Lithuania and abroad (Denmark, Scotland, Norway, etc.). Onė Austėja Maldonytė's exhibition "Inserted" is open to visit in the underground water reservoir UAB "Aukštaitijos vandenys" (Velžio kel. 13, Panevėžys) until November 15. Exhibition curator: Monika Eidėjūtė Project funded by: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Crafts Project partners: UAB "Aukštaitijos vandenys" Thanks to: UAB "Midenė"