Realistic generation

Lithuanian artists Arunas Gudaitis, Egle Rakauskaite and Laura Stasiulyte all deal with nationality and society in their works, one way or another.

Do works by young Lithuanian artists have something in common?

Laura: Our time was never at a standstill. We led our lives under the circumstances that prevailed. We were never in isolation, although perhaps physically, but otherwise not. Lithuanian artists perhaps pay more attention to social change than Nordic artists. Despite history, we are similar and have a lot in common.
Egle: Of course there is a difference between art before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. We are young and represent a new school. Then there is the generation that grew up in a closed society. They are now past middle age and stuck in the
situation that was before.

Like Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia have also changed a lot since the early 1990s. Do you think you represent Baltic art?

Laura: Earlier, we were not that interested in what went on in the neighbouring countries. We were more interested in Western Europe farther off. Today, we are re-evaluating our relationships to Latvia and Poland, for example. We show more interest and participate more actively in cultural exchange.
Egle: Yet on the basis of our experiences, we share the view that we cannot identify that much with the Baltic area or Baltic art. We work on a local level. Our art reflects our nationality and our mother tongue.

In what way has the rapid social change in Lithuania influenced the making of art?

Egle: After the fall of the Berlin Wall, we began to travel outside Lithuania and our local mentality has become more international. This change is visible in our works, as they reflect ourselves and the situation around us.
Arunas: In a decade, the situation has changed substantially. In the early 1990s, it was us exporting our art abroad, now we are adopting influences from the West.

Did the change take place too fast?

Egle: Concrete changes can never advance faster than what people are willing to accept. We always wanted these changes. For the older generation, however, the changes may be bewildering. Because…now this sounds rather banal…well, we all know why. This is the end of their era, and they are not willing to accept the new rules.

Do the Lithuanian youth want to forget their past?

Laura: Why should we remember the Soviet era?
Egle: I sometimes take a reserved stand on cherishing old traditions. People who foster old customs and nationality live in a time stood still, thinking it is a good way to survive.

What about the future of Lithuania? How do you see it?

Egle: This question sounds very Soviet to me. I don’t think we can be that optimistic any longer, because we have heard so many empty promises. Our generation is realistic. We can’t pretend that we are doing fine and that we have a set of special qualities that will help us succeed better than others. We know that we have to work hard and create our own future.

Maria Isohanni