Statement by Elena Antanaviéiuté
The Body
My painting series The Body developed from self-portraits and diary-like drawings I was doing before. On one hand, The Body is about beauty standards, and it has been influenced by feminist discourse. On the other hand, I find interesting forms and landscapes while painting my body. I am interested not only in body parts that are often seen in the media. I also paint body parts that are unrecognizable, sometimes less exploited in the media, such as the wrinkles of my finger joint. The relationship with my body is multifaceted and influenced by my life environment. The theme is very personal and universal at the same time. The paintings are very light, the colour of gesso is important. I use a good amount of solvent; I wipe the paint a lot; my paintings are raw. I write short stories that complement my paintings, but they also can be read as separate works.