Incantations
Art critic Vaidilutė Brazauskaitė-Lupeikienė
Lilija Valatkienė is an interdisciplinary art creator who often uses interactions between different media and elements of synaesthesis in her work and exhibitions.
She has long been known and recognized as a photographer, a communication specialist, as a highly experienced journalist and publicist, and has been trying herself in other fields for many years, particularly in the field of visual arts. When painting, she is usually guided by an emotion, a gesture, an impulse arising from the subconscious or inspired by natural sensations, sounds, other senses and experiences, both in terms of artefactual memory, rituals, knowledge and sentiments dictated by identity.
In her abstract paintings, we feel the breath of nature, its constantly changing emotions and experiences. Biomorphic associations, fractal structures, the search for a certain symmetry, a certain ritualism of repeated forms involve us in a kaleidoscopic circle of kism, eternal movement, repetition, as if a ritual, as if the field of influence of shamanic incantations, as if hearing those mysterious "incantations".
This is so near to the trance-inducing effects of Antanas Mončys whistles.
His whistles transmit a longing for the homeland - their soulful, hauntingly melancholic sounds both magical and ritualistic. This is the effect on everyone who finds themselves in the visual and sound-enriched coverage field of the exhibition.
Lilija Valatkienė's abstract paintings create a sense of vibration, connecting with the sound background of the exhibition - the sound vibrates...
Experiential exhibitions always have an educational effect. The viewer can feel and comprehend the principles of the synthesis of artistic means of expression, gain many new experiences and encounter many different emotions.
In the exhibition "Incantations", interdisciplinary art creator L. Valatkienė presents the results of another experiment of hers - the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into several of her works. For some years now, there has been an ongoing debate about the potential help of AI in creating works of art, visual objects and musical works. This is a very relevant discussion; opponent opinions differ radically. Some praise the possibilities, others categorically separate authentic works of art and images from those created with the help of AI. In my opinion, the divide is really very clear and considerable. AI is still in the "learning" stage, and even as it develops, it must, without any hesitation, be identified as a completely separate field of expression.
In this exhibition, Lilija Valatkienė expressly presents several experimental AI-created visuals based on her own paintings. From these it becomes obvious that, for now, AI is still a very imperfect, emotionless, debatable instrument, capable only of reading the originals created by the artist and executing literal commands. But who knows what will happen next, because artificial intelligence is rapidly "learning" from algorithms created by us.
Now we have the opportunity to visually inspect Lilia's paintings and photography, their incantational spells and listen to the magic of sounds...
An experiential exhibition that reveals the relationship with other creators
If you believe the definition of the term, incantations are magical formulas (spoken or written) with which the conjurer seeks to influence another person or a mythical creature, animal, plant, or natural phenomenon. I created my incantation formula on canvases and photographs by processing the material of visual reality.
While listening to various music, creating paintings, I realized a very important relationship with the work of another artist. An unplanned impulse occurred during the creation of "Incantations". You will experience hints of feeling in my visual language. In addition to the various pieces of music that inspired my painting (you will find them by scanning the QR code below the painting), you will hear an "open conversation" with the artist, the famous Samogitian from Paris, Antanas Mončys. More precisely, - listening to his whistles, the sounds of which seem to be a form of indestructible primordial meaning, brought me to the swamp. In mythology, the swamp has acquired a negative meaning. For me, a swamp is spectacularly beautiful, more mysterious than the sea, a waterfall or a river. The life born here confidently announces itself, challenges the environment primarily with sounds. This is the best place for incantations. Our fear and formed stereotypes prevent us from going deeper into it.
Returning to A. Mončy's whistles. I know that for many they become an unexpected discovery in the work of this artist. I experienced the versatility of his clay whistles not only in the museum exhibition, but also in the virtual space by looking at and listening to the sound of each wonderful clay whistle in their whole. Only a magical swamp can delight you with such unique sounds! The sounds of whistles also inspired the young composer Martynas Liudžius. He created the music playing throughout the duration of the Incantations exhibition. His music became an unexpected discovery for me and confirmed the rule that we all perceive and reflect the same meaning very differently.
We left intrigue for the end - two paintings created by artificial intelligence based on Lilija Valatkienė's painting and Martynas Liudžius' music.
Watch, listen, enjoy and give yourself complete freedom of interpretation.
