Nijolė Šaltenytė. A Retrospective

Marking Nijolė Šaltenytė’s 80th birthday, this retrospective exhibition invites visitors on a journey through the multifaceted world of her graphic art. Here, we encounter not only dreamlike visions and intimate rituals of everyday life but also reflections on the inner experience of living in today’s unstable world.

Šaltenytė debuted in the early 1970s as part of a new generation of women graphic artists – strong, distinctive creators who spoke in a poetic visual language and worked in the classical techniques of printmaking. Šaltenytė stands out among her peers for her distinctive style, in which wit and irony intertwine with existential anxiety, themes of introspection and solitude, and rich symbolic thought. Comparing works from the early days of Šaltenytė’s career with her more recent pieces reveals a pronounced evolution in her stylistic expression, unfolding gradually rather than through radical creative breaks. Her early works are dominated by surrealist imagery and narrative subjects, while her later art contains more references to contemporary concerns – the challenges of everyday life and consumerism. The female figure recurs as a leitmotif in many of Šaltenytė’s works, through which she explores transformations in the image of women, from the coquette to the femme fatale.

Šaltenytė’s work is distinguished by a high degree of technical mastery: a meticulous command of etching and aquatint, a rich range of tonal nuances, fluid lines, and the combination of diverse textures. In the late twentieth century, she began employing mixed techniques, including embossing – a relief impression echoing motifs found in her prints –  stitching with white thread, and embroidery. She also began creating layered works combining prints and watercolors. Šaltenytė applies these techniques in prints, miniatures, and bookplates. This exhibition also presents several drawings selected from her extensive archive, further developing ideas explored in her graphic work.