Monika Plioplyte

I For Nested Pattern / photo-based performance / archival inkjet prints / ED of 10 each / 2020 - on going

Questioning the current conditions of our time and our collective future, I have turned to my ancestors to look for answers. A focus of my research is the occult and symbolic nature of Baltic Paganism and traditional folklore art, central to my upbringing. I make paper based wall works using drawings and risograph-printed-cut-outs of my body that mimic the ancient Pagan goddesses of Eastern Europe, adapting traditional Lithuanian textiles and decorative symbols in the process. I activate collage works and paper textiles by wearing the pattern and photographing myself in natural environments that resemble landscapes where I grew up. Carrying sentimental longing for a place or a past, I aim to connect with the knowledge that's been lost. The works are intimately linked to storytelling through ancient symbology, my physical body, personal rituals, and the processes of the hand made.