"Stop Raping Us" Painting

I am a painter living in Joniškis who doesn't shy away from various social and contemporary issues in my art. Like a tick, embedding into the skin and diminishing the perceived pain of the host with its saliva, I, too, as an artist, aim to sensitively stimulate the viewer. Depending on the viewer's state of mind, the load conveyed through the artwork affects differently, sometimes - not realizing that a pain-relieving substance has just been injected into you, making you unable to withdraw from the artwork, stop, and stare. The painting "Mr. Trump," painted in 2016, was a turning point in my art, from which I began to paint more and more paintings on relevant topics. Themes that I painted a few years ago are still relevant and become even more so in this unstable period. Freedom of speech is extremely important to me. I cannot imagine showcasing my artwork in an authoritarian state where not only freedom of speech but also human rights are restricted. I had a discussion with a girl who came to live in Lithuania over a year ago. During the opening of my exhibition "The Killing of the Holy Deer" at the Šiauliai Art Gallery in 2022, she approached me and asked why I painted the Lithuanian president with a mask. The mask became a symbol of an unclear time. In the collar of Gitanas Nausėda's jacket, I painted the LGBT flag, which the president promised to wear but didn't. I titled the painting "Broken Words." The painting hung next to the portrait of Dictator Putin titled "putinmouse," which I painted in 2020. I didn't answer immediately because it was an unexpected question for me. Then she said, Putin is a bad president, and your Nausėda is good, or am I missing something? If I had responded that my art is based on free speech. We live in a democratic country, where there is no need to be afraid to criticize, no need to be afraid to show your opinion and express them through art. Don't be afraid to start discussions on various issues. A person who comes from an authoritarian state, where people standing in the street with empty posters are imprisoned, was surprised how I dare to criticize my government. No matter what that government is and when it was elected. But there are also people in Lithuania who think like that Russian girl. Therefore, by not choosing and trying to maintain one theme in my art, I noticed that I can react to painful topics, react to current events, and speak through art with the society around me.