RIVERS AND LAND ART PLEIN-AIR

Painter, artist, land art creator, educator, exhibition curator, and participant in painting and land art plein airs and exhibitions in Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Italy, and France. Founder and director of the painting studio “Mano spalva” for adults and students. Member of the Lithuanian Art Teachers' Association (LDUD).

• Artwork “Message” | Art installation location – Panemunė.

The artistic installation “Message” is situated on the banks of the Nemunas River. It consists of sticks rising from the ground, spiraling upward and outward. This resembles handwriting, a complex signature, a message that draws attention through intriguing and associative rhythmic loops. Standing on the riverbank, enveloped by currents of wind, the installation “Message” dissolves its meaning into a complex spiral form, presenting this shape as its communication. Any interpretation or explanation could weaken or destroy it. Thus, “Message”, as an artistic installation, conveys positive emotions through its meaning, which the viewer can recognize using visual artistic tools. Can the forces of nature speak? What message could come from the wind, from the river? From the flowing water, from the currents of air? Experiencing admiration for the changing appearance of the Nemunas and positive emotions, I asked myself these questions. And this work was the answer. The sticks, which were once living trees, collected from the forest, gained meaning and became a living message. The material was ready to accept new “content”, transforming its usual properties. Land art once again conquers new territories in space and time, intruding into previously inaccessible areas and influencing both the artist and the viewer.

In the field of artistic exploration, the combination and transformation of various art forms are present: transferring textile ideas into land art, working with street video art, ceramics, and more. The main artistic material used by the creator is wooden sticks. In Lithuania, she has held solo exhibitions such as “Textiles in Land Art” and “Whispers of Space”, outdoor installations like “Flax Land”, “Sun Sprouted”, “Little Visit” and has participated in group exhibitions and biennials in Lithuania, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

• Artwork “CHANCE” | Art installation location – Šančiai.

“Chance” is a word that means opportunity or chance in both French and English. Representing this chance in an artwork symbolizes the opportunities and openness offered by Šančiai. At the same time, it is indefinable, dynamic, and ever-changing. Therefore, in my work, I use the infinity symbol, whose unravelling throughout the piece signifies eternity and continuous continuity. How can one define a Kaunas “chance”? It is indefinable, just as dynamic and changing as Kaunas itself.

According to legends, it was in Šančiai where Napoleon, recognizing the strategic location, saw an opportunity to cross the Nemunas River. Although this story might be just a myth, it adds mystery and depth to the area. Another, more reliable version suggests that the place name originated from the French word “chantier”, meaning construction site or fortress, which further emphasizes the historical and cultural significance of Šančiai. *“Before the Napoleonic Wars (1812), there were two villages between Panemunė and Kaunas, in the present-day location of Šančiai – Pašilė and Baibokai. In the early 19th century, both villages belonged to the Jesuits. In the summer of 1812, the French crossed the Nemunas near present-day Šančiai and, after crossing, built fortifications here, which they named with their own word (French chantier – 'construction site,' German Schanze – 'trench, rampart').[3] In the 1860s, there was a small settlement and manor called Šancai. Lithuanians adapted this name, resulting in Šančiai.[4][5]” * https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Žemieji_Šančiai

The artist duo has been working in the field of land art since 2003. Inga Raubaitė is an artist and textile artist, a member of the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists' Association, and the creator, initiator, and curator of the land art project “Nature and Art”. She has organized 16 land art projects in the VU Botanical Garden and compiled photo albums for these exhibitions, titled “Land Art in the Vilnius University Botanical Garden” (2019, 2021). She delivers lectures on land art, conducts educational workshops on the subject, and participates in other art projects. Žilvinas Višinskas is a participant in these land art exhibitions, a photographer, and a project coordinator.

• Artwork “TO BE THERE HERE” | Art installation location – Nemunas Island.

This piece is an allusion to time and the past, when this island was a port and a recreational area, as well as to the present, where there is constant movement and the desire to experience the flow of time while also attempting to momentarily pause it. The boat-shaped objects symbolize a transition from one place to another, from the past to the present, or vice versa, capable of revealing various perspectives and concepts about time, identity, and the meaning of life. A person is the creator of their actions, choices, and experiences. According to this concept, the past, present, and future are closely interconnected, and with freedom and responsibility, a person can shape their life through their actions and choices. This means that moving from the past to the present, or vice versa, is not only possible but also an essential part of human existence.