Eglė Čėjauskaitė-Gintalė

In the gallery, the jeweler Eglė Čėjauskaitė – Gintalė introduced her works that were crafted especially for this exhibition and were inspired by poetical texts and books of a great poet and literary scholar prof. Viktorija Daujotytė written in Samogitian dialect, such as “Voices in mists” (Balsai ūkuose (Balsā ūkūs)), “Living alone” (Gyvenu viena (Gīvenu vīna)) and “I have returned” (Tai parėjau (Tata parėjau)).

Based on the poetry of Viktorija Daujotytė, the author in her jewelry exhibition seeks not to simply illustrate the text content, but to materialize the authenticity of Samogitian world-view, its cultural morale, and aesthetics. The jeweler was encouraged to get the inspiration for her works from Samogitian literature by both her personal relation to Samogitia and a desire to evoke the authenticity of the Samogitian language which is still alive. According to the artist, by putting together plastic art and poetry, the perceptual boundaries of these traditional arts are broadened. With the help of this creative synthesis, the single experience focused on a woman’s portrait comes to life.

The exhibition by Eglė Čėjauskaitė – Gintalė displayed necklaces, scapulars, brooches, medals, hair accessories – the objects that became reflections of religious, national, and folklore artifacts depicted in the works of Viktorija Daujotytė. The author’s creative ideas are expressed through the combination of different materials: various metals (silver, steel, gold, and bronze) are combined with glass, textile, stones, and other organic materials (amber, wood, fossilised wood, mammoth ivory, and silk).

Eglė Čėjauskaitė Gintalė is a Lithuanian jeweler and a conceptual artist creating the unconventional and unique jewelry as well as accessories out of metal, textile and other various unusual materials. The artist graduated from Vilnius Academy of Arts in metal art and design major, she is a regular participant in foreign and Lithuanian exhibitions, the winner of international and local jewelry competitions and a member of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association and The International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM). This is Eglė‘s 8th personal exhibition and her second appearance in the (AV17) gallery.

“This exhibition is like a renewed fragment of the Samogitian universe. The place of the past (maybe) harmonious entity, nature and everyday holiness. There, where the time is slow, the language is Samogitian, words are earthbound, prudent and prompt, where an unrecognized poetry is difficult and sometimes severe. Maybe that place has never existed, maybe the things were born out of yearning, out of the make-believe memories. In any case, everything is honest and real. There is no distance and hostility, no self-observation and self-irony. Everything has its voice.” (The art critic Jurgita Ludavičienė)

The exhibition was sponsored by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Porta Artis.