I Wish the Stones Were Growing Again, 2023- ongoing
Once upon a time, in a lush green kingdom, there was a cozy house by the river where a girl lived. The river seemed to her like the sea, the geese like dragons, the pet dogs like faithful horses, and stones fell from the sky and grew. One day, leaving her animals, home, and the sea, she went on a long journey to the kingdom beyond the hill. Along the way, she encountered friends and foes, love and disappointments, spending 28 years away from home. Upon her return, she was bewildered to find that the sea was a river, the animals had disappeared, and the people around her spoke a language she didn't understand.
"I Wish the Stones Were Growing Again" is a series reflecting my journey to reconnect with my homeland, which feels familiar yet simultaneously foreign after decades of absence.
In this project, I create a path to my identity through a visual dialogue that connects my fragmented childhood memories with the culture of my homeland, Lithuania.
I transform new experiences of encountering landscapes, beliefs, rituals, and everyday life into images and objects, each serving as a fragment of a narrative reflecting my attempts to assimilate into an environment that is both mine and foreign.
Meticulously constructed images are combined with natural landscapes, objects, and self-portraits, blending research results with artistic interpretation. In the project, I explore Lithuanian myths and fairy tales, using their plots to express disorientation, wonder, and the desire to merge with nature and home.
