dizainovacija.lt | Inspiring ceramics

Unexpected acquaintances help build closer relationships. The art world is full of them. And a large part of them in my world are made through the Design Week project. Together with the other organisers, we try to involve others in this whirlpool of connections. One of the activities that encourages friendships is the offer for participants to discover the showcases of the dizainovacija.lt initiative for themselves. This is one of the forms of participation in the festival, where artists and designers have the opportunity to set up a display in the windows of cafés, shops, beauty salons, bookshops and other commercial premises. And usually, designers who choose their own windows are much more creative than if they choose one of our windows. And then the design is so realistically blended into the environment that the display becomes a work of art – an installation.

This year, one of these showcases will be located in Kaunas. Ceramic artist Karolina Černevičienė is planning to set up an exposition “Silence” in the studio of “Gėlių Bistro”, Vilniaus street 58. The artist writes about her work:

Purity, texture and a minimalist aesthetic are at the heart of my work. You may have heard that clay has its own character and even memory? This is absolutely true. Unglazed clay is the most lively and lovable for me and I am constantly discovering more and more ancient ways to impregnate clay without glazing. Natural materials such as wax, milk, sourdough starter, oils… It’s a very interesting process that allows me to make clay in a more sustainable way, using less energy and chemicals. I may be stubborn, but my convictions have led me to turn to my passions and find peace within them. One of those passions is plants, so the vast majority of my products are dedicated to them.

It would be banal to say that Karolina’s work is exceptional, but it really is. Each work seems to bring a piece of nature into the concrete jungle we live in. This nature – though created by human hands, filled with living vegetation – takes on a new meaning. You could say that the ceramicist creates objects that are submissive to nature. Some of them provoke the viewer, they look dark, gloomy and strange, as if they came from Lithuanian myths about fairies, witches and Magilla herself. But as soon as the works are decorated with greenery, they become a form of the earth and blend naturally into any environment, leaving a trace of nature in their wake. Exploring Karolina’s ceramics makes you want to stop, breathe and enjoy the moment – then you can feel the natural attraction of the maker and yourself to nature.

Karolina Černevičienė’s and other dizainovacija.lt showcases will be on display in Vilnius, Kaunas and Panevėžys on 3-9 June.This initiative will be accompanied by a number of other events of the Lithuanian Design Week festival, which will be aimed at broadening the design horizons.