2024 Finalists
Eglė Marcinkevičiūtė
Love – No Love. Bloom – No Bloom.
162 x 90 cm, mixed media: plywood, metal, epoxide, spray paint, oil paint
Love or no love? Bloom or no bloom? Can it blossom? What lies within these questions is like a visual vocabulary of romance, offering not just the allure of blossoming flowers waiting to captivate the viewer but also revealing the vulnerabilities that accompany them.
The therianthrope – a mythical figure blending human and animal traits – represents the idea of transformation. I bet it was strange to encounter it for the first time and try to understand exactly what it was.1 Eventually, it becomes clear that our imaginations perceive hybrid forms like this as something powerful – a reflection of the blurred boundaries between nature, humanity, and the unknown.
This therianthrope example inspires me to create artwork with zoomorphic themes, where I explore the concept of a mass – produced plant – created, constructed, and altered to the point where it no longer resembles its original form. The repetition, modification, and industrialization of a flower element change it into something unrecognizable, far removed from its natural state. The question, “Does it bloom?” reflects this transformation, inviting us to consider whether a recreated form can retain its essence or if it becomes something entirely different. A dialogue emerges between the natural and the artificial, questioning where one ends and the other begins, or whether they simply become blurred.
By reshaping the traditional square format into the form of an animal’s body cut from wood, I create a surface where I can explore a variety of possible combinations. The work is composed of plywood panels, organic glass, plastic flower details, and screws – all attached using the collage principle. These elements are secured but can be easily removed or rearranged, which constantly changes how the piece is perceived and impacts its volume and meaning. For example, adding a repeatedly moving video projection of wings introduces a dynamic layer that highlights the idea that reality is constantly being reshaped and reimagined. Everything can convert within one additional layer of view.
The result is a hybrid flower that grows and evolves in a space dominated by other interventions. Through the human lens, the figure becomes just a fragment, always haunted by its different versions.
(17/33)
