Undercurrent is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Patricija Gilytė entitled Solo Circuit. Drawing on the universal concepts of the body, space, and time— as well as their limitations— Gilytė’s transformation of minimal and lo-tech processes ignite infinite connections inviting us to revisit memory and experience.
An indistinct sound and darkness cloak the gallery’s entrance and gradual staircase. As we descend, our senses immediately begin attempting to explain what our mind cannot. Three ceiling to floor projections shower our vision with thousands of flickering lights. The hypnotic acoustic and visual immersion impact our psyche with the sublime. Sound becomes vision and light sound - vibration. Reveling in the physiological experience, our mind waffles and bends from a cosmic phenomenon to an aerial view of what could be a sprawling metropolis or a candlelight vigil.
This celebration of light takes on new meaning as heat, pixels, or dots on our screen, emphasizing the individual interpretation of our attempts to navigate this new age of virtual distance. Our mind yearns for answers and comprehension yet we must sacrifice knowledge to fully embrace the moment. The mysticism of the piece conjures images and questions about the individual and the universal; the concrete and the ephemeral; analog and the digital. We ask ourselves, “what is light?”, connecting us deeper to spiritual concerns and the laws of energy.
These illusive experiences contrast with the fact that Gilytė’s process is a purely analog, mode of stop motion animation using real candles. The orchestration of aerial photography, candles, and time seem to demystify process, while simultaneously leaving us residual memories. The process is choreographed. Lighting each candle, Gilytė’s movements are intentional but limited by her own body and its distance to the tea light. Each candle’s life cycle is a brief four hours, mirroring the duration of the entire process which extends over three to four days. After all the candles have burnt out, the void experienced seems tangible, and strongly impressed by the lingering scent of black soot. The reminders of that energy transfer connect us back to the external, to the space outside of this installation, to the shore, the East River, where through an undercurrent we connect back to the Baltic Sea’s coastline where the installation originated, a conduit of space, time, and perception.
Patricija Gilytė is a Lithuanian born, German based artist whose work intersects installation, performance, video, and time. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the Vilnius Art Academy / Kaunas Art Institute in 2000, and moved to Germany to continue at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, where she was awarded with her final diploma in 2005. Patricija Gilytė is represented by Meno Parkas Gallery in Kaunas, Lithuania, and in Düsseldorf, Germany.
