“Exploring Baltic and Slavic themes, and incorporating them into my stories and characters brings me the kind of joy that is sorely needed during these tough times” — a view from the Lithuanian art community: Interview with Viltė, a digital artist
For years, the concept of “East Europe” was associated with russia in the first place rather than with Poland, Ukraine, or Baltic countries, overshadowing their cultural and artistic achievements. Today artists from East European countries highlight their achievements and promote their culture and art, fighting the toxic consequences of the colonial past and reminding the world what “East Europe” actually is.
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Viltė, a 20-year-old digital from Kaunas, Lithuania creates characters and artwork inspired by Baltic and Slavic culture, introducing it through informative posts and drawings. Her art revolves around portraying Eastern European mythology and folklore in a fantasy setting. In this interview for “Ocean of Dreams,” Viltė talks about art, inspiration, and how the war influences the Lithuanian community.
A Lithuanian art community launched a hashtag #LithuArtist recently aiming at popularizing the Lithuanian artists and helping their works to get more attention. Have there been any similar attempts before? If not, why? What inspired you to do this now?
Not that I know of, at least on Twitter. A big reason why there might have been no attempts made is very simple: we are a small country. This, coupled with the fact that not many Lithuanians use Twitter, results in a tiny amount of artists that choose to post there. I think a big inspiration behind #LithuArtist was the #ukrart and #украрт hashtags made by Ukrainians to show their art to the rest of the world while being able to find and support each other. I realized that this is exactly what we needed to do as artists from Lithuania and its diaspora. Though I mentioned that the number of Lithuanian artists using this social media platform is quite small, there was still a desire for me to find others and connect, all while giving the hard-working creatives from my country a chance to be exposed to a bigger audience.
I’ve noticed that your works have many Baltic and Slavic motifs. Why do these themes attract your interest so much? Are there other themes that interest you as an artist?
The most straightforward answer is my love for culture. While I have been enjoying these themes for a long time now, 2021 was the year of self-discovery when I leaned into the cultures that brought me genuine happiness. I have had a particular interest in Ukraine for more than a year now: its beautiful art, folklore, and national clothing are incredibly comforting to me. In a way, it reminds me of home, and this sentiment, along with seeing other artists take inspiration from their countries led me to look into my own. I was tired of not seeing Lithuanian folklore represented in mainstream media or less popular creations so I decided, just as with #LithuArtist, that I should be the one to fill this niche myself. Exploring Baltic and Slavic themes, and incorporating them into my stories and characters brings me the kind of joy that is sorely needed during these tough times. I have found great people who share my love for Eastern Europe and have had the honor to inspire others as well. Besides that, I have an interest in history, especially customs, ways of life, and religious rituals of societies long gone. This sometimes bleeds into my art and combines itself with the already present fantasy elements.
“I am aware of the pain, hardship, and oppression that the USSR subjected anyone who wasn’t a “pure-bred” Russian-speaking Muscovite. It is so difficult to explain this to the West and its youth, who proudly wear ushankas with the same soviet symbols that were worn by officials who deported, starved, and impoverished millions all while trying to erase our languages.”
How would you describe your artistic style? Have you ever tried using other stylizations?
A surprising number of people have described my style as colorful, whimsical, and strangely calming. As flattered as I am, I struggle with that description sometimes, worried that the way I draw is too timid and might stand in the way of me successfully portraying scenes that are supposed to have a certain edge to them. This is the reason why I love experimenting. Depending on the technique I can make something cute or eerie, detailed or stylized. With every successful experiment, I add the techniques I’ve learned to the way I draw regularly, constantly evolving as an artist. At the end of the day, even when I struggle, I’m glad to create something distinctly mine, especially if my love for the process and the subject matter makes other people enjoy my work. I do hope I become less harsh on myself for the calm storybook-esque qualities my style has. As a woman raised on books by Cornelia Funke, Astrid Lindgren, and Tove Jansson, I think I secretly love the whimsy I accidentally create, in any style I pick up.
Your works are mostly digital. Are you working in traditional techniques? If yes, which? If not, why?
While I’ve drawn traditionally in the past, I don’t enjoy it nearly as much as digital. There’s just so much I love about digital art: multiple layers, an array of colors that I don’t have to pre-mix, and most importantly the comfort that being able to erase any mistake gives the artist. To me, art is supposed to be relaxing, and eliminating the anxiety of messing up (which I do often) makes it a much better experience.
You mentioned that you were surprised by the fact that the Ukrainian internet community is supporting Lithuanian artists. Why did it surprise you so much?
It was very unexpected! I had no idea why very talented Ukrainian creatives and even people who didn’t draw at all expressed so much interest. After asking them, I received very interesting answers. There was the obvious one, supporting us because of our efforts to help Ukraine as much as possible, but others expressed their interests in the Baltics and the desire to shift the pre-war Russian-leaning Ukrainian culture (something I had no idea was happening) towards us instead. It really opened my eyes and I, as well as others, feel grateful to have received love from the country that I’ve been so interested in.
Since the very beginning of the full-scale Russian war in Ukraine Lithuania remains the country that supports Ukraine fully and unconditionally both as a government and as a nation. Many Ukrainians explain this by the fact that both of our countries share the trauma of having Russia as a neighbor. Would you agree with that?
I definitely do. The Baltics have been independent, quickly developing countries for more than 30 years, however, the trauma still persists. Even as a person born and raised in free Lithuania, I am aware of the pain, hardship, and oppression that the USSR (and even earlier versions of Russian imperialism) subjected anyone who wasn’t a “pure-bred” Russian-speaking Muscovite. It is so difficult to explain this to the West and its youth, who proudly wear ushankas with the same soviet symbols that were worn by officials who deported, starved, and impoverished millions all while trying to erase our languages. The things we read in history books are happening currently in Ukraine and it’s impossible to turn a blind eye. For the first time in my life, I’m seeing such solidarity in Lithuania, yet I cannot say that I’m surprised.
In Lithuania, a large Russian diaspora exists. As we know, they are well known all around the world for their chauvinism and open imperialism. Lithuania has received a lot of Ukrainian refugees recently. How does the Russian diaspora treat them? Are there any conflicts? How does the Russian diaspora treat the Lithuanians?
I’m afraid that I don’t have the appropriate amount of knowledge and experience to answer this question. The Russian diaspora exists in Lithuania, however, it has settled in the east of the country, namely our capital Vilnius. As a person who grew up in Kaunas, located in the middle of Lithuania, I have very little personal experience with both the Russian diaspora and the newly immigrated Ukrainians, since they as well prefer settling in the capital. After asking a Vilnius-raised coursemate for his input, we both concluded that this is a difficult topic to quiz people on due to the fact that younger generations seem to hide their biases, seeing how unpopular their opinions are and only the older ones openly admit to disliking Lithuanians or Ukrainians.
Like Lithuania, Ukraine was affected by a strong influence of Russian colonialism. In its turn, this hampered development of many industries and branches of life, including art development. Can you say the same about Lithuanian art? How can you feel this today?
This is a very interesting question because it’s admittedly difficult to pinpoint the source of people not appreciating art in Lithuania. As with many areas, Lithuania lags behind when it comes to the art industry but it’s not the fault of our creatives and designers. The fault falls on those who mistreat them instead. The graphic design industry in particular is very competitive: the art academy and university courses specializing in this field fill up every year, however, work positions are limited. A person is likely to get hired by commissioners who don’t understand the labor and time that a project may take and are very keen to underpay the artist or designer and overwork them. Lithuania has wonderful artistic talents who create stunning, original, and modern works and I wish our society appreciated them more.
“All mentions of Russia have gradually disappeared from my works: it has no place in the creations meant to celebrate the diverse cultures of Eastern Europe.”
Russia often threatens so-called “unfriendly” countries, including Lithuania. What do Lithuanians think of this? Are you cautious of these threats?
To be honest, we struggle to take them seriously. Speaking from my own experience, these threats were very alarming at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however as time passed Russia’s struggle became so apparent that all fear vanished. I don’t think we’re cautious anymore, especially when the plans of action that Russian late-night show hosts discuss are so hilariously ridiculous.
Has the war in Ukraine affected you on a personal level? How?
Absolutely. Even if my prior love of Ukraine’s culture wasn’t factored in, war is war. Preceding the invasion, I had been keeping up with the news since the New Year. I distinctly remember feeling enormous distress, checking the news every night before I went to bed and every morning as soon as I woke up. My university coursemates and I agreed to attend a rally in Kaunas in support of Ukraine to calm ourselves down as the tensions rose. Turns out it was accidentally scheduled on the same day the invasion began, the 24th of February. After heading home I remember packing my documents and getting my clothes ready just in case we get attacked in the middle of the night. Thankfully, none of the preparations turned out to be necessary. During the following months, I began donating, participating in events that were focused on welcoming Ukrainians to Lithuania, and volunteering at the Kaunas registration center for refugees, one that will have closed by the time this interview is published. I have stopped speaking Russian and, like many Lithuanians, decided to take up Ukrainian language lessons instead. And of course, all mentions of Russia have gradually disappeared from my works: it has no place in the creations meant to celebrate the diverse cultures of Eastern Europe.
By Oleksandra Krykova
