September 6 – October 7, 2023
Exhibited at Art Gallery (Respublikos str. 3)
INDRA’S EMOTIONS AND COLOURS
Those who know Indra will know that this artistic woman is recognised for her exclusive sense of style and colour. They admire her colourful, multi-layered outfits with unique accessories that resemble symbols and signs, her expressive facial features and wavy ginger hair, as well as her temperament and infinite creativity. Perhaps this introduction sounds strange but, for me, Indra’s physical form is entirely and organically connected with the objects she creates, the movement of her thoughts and ideas, her genuine sincerity and great attractiveness, which sometimes even causes emotions closer to euphoria because, at least for me, seeing Indra’s artworks produces a lot of serotonin. I am writing with a note of humour because most of the artist’s works elicit positive emotions and warm associations; however, those artworks that reveal the phenomena of harsh everyday life, the trail of war-related lies and our fears provoke not only different thoughts but can also affect people emotionally.
By gradually improving her collage technique and style, Indra moves towards monumentalism and conceptuality. Her multidimensional “stuffed” objects are reminiscent of the symbiotic relationship and dialogue between soft sculptures and three-dimensional or even multidimensional textile techniques.
Colour is one of the most important objects and components of the artist’s installations. Her colours are highly psychological and emotionally motivated. Indra uses contrasting colours, colour “code” symbolism and traditional iconographic colour expressions and combinations to create individual meanings that convey authentic emotions. We are all aware that the combination of black and red denotes a mythological origin and frequently represents infernal experiences such as sin, guilt and pain. While each colour has a different meaning, yellow can represent not only a sweet banana or fluffy candyfloss, but also an ache, disappointment or even envy.
When white becomes the dominant colour in the abundance of pillows, it no longer conveys the feeling of purity or clean snow, but rather of emptiness, guilt, and even our secret obsessions and fears. In the context of the ongoing war, these objects are associated with sandbags covering bunkers, protecting trenches or valuable historical monuments rather than sweet dreams and quiet sleep.
The entire set of artworks created by Indra Marcinkevičienė is full of emotion and highly authentic stories that are universal and do not need to be translated or interpreted, as the use of recognizable symbols and signs makes the material language of the objects very clear and expressive, imbuing them with the artist’s authentic perspective and feelings. These objects are reminiscent of painful, fun or sensitive feelings because the code of emotions and reminiscences is very authentic and can be perceived and sensed by everyone.
Being surrounded by Indra’s extravaganza of colours and shapes makes you feel surrounded by endless empathy and other genuine feelings. It captures Indra’s childhood memories, colours and even smells, as well as the warm touch of maternal love, childhood dreams and her present everyday life full of feelings which are often not so colourful and joyful, but also white, reminding her of loss and pain.
It also depicts our own colourful daily lives. That is how unique the artist’s creation is, carrying us to unknown dimensions of space, colour and feeling.
Art Critic Vaidilutė Brazauskaitė-L.