Vital Anomaly, 2022
oil on canvas
Is the creature depicted alive or dead? Or maybe fake, just stuffed? Or maybe just a macabre decoration? Can a reflection be called alive? Maybe it depends on the life form of the reflected creature? Can things be alive? Can dead beings be considered objects? What does the concept of “corpse” suggest? Upon seeing the dead body of a familiar creature sentimentality makes one react sensitively, immerse oneself in feelings, as a result of which rational thinking becomes hazy. Seeing a dead stranger encourages healthy reflection on one’s life, direction in life, and current point in time. Such an image of the deceased leads to often avoided considerations about death, but you do not become a psychological participant in the event of death, but an observer, thus looking into the situation without being too emotionally attached to it. The painting depicts an animal with a contested sense of aliveness. The work does not clearly state whether the subject is alive or not. Therefore, it encourages us to consider what defines life at all, what elements create such an impression. The tiger’s gaze is blank, seeing nothing, as if he is not here. This is how I depict the expression of absent-mindedness – how a mentally absent animal looks from the outside. I visualize stuck states, feelings, the inability to express oneself – through a metaphor. Artwork participated in project “Art without a roof” in Vilnius and my MA graduating project “Obscura”, 2023.
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