Jelena Škulis exhibition “Chains of Freedom, Wires of Connection”

Rugsėjo 4–27 d. at the Klaipėda Culture Communication Center (KKKC) Exhibition Hall, Didžiojoje Vandens g. 2, Jelena Škulis’s exhibition “Chains of Freedom, Wires of Connection” is on view, curated by Joaquin Mora. In it, weaving, embroidery and handicrafts, belonging to the tradition of old crafts and domestic work, move into the field of contemporary art without losing their connection to their origins. One thread meets another. Separate elements begin to belong to one another: they are connected by repetition, tension and time. It is an archaic gesture that still speaks of our need to remain connected. It is precisely from this movement that Jelena Škulis’s artistic practice begins. The hand, the loom, repetition and, above all, time itself remain especially palpable. It takes months, sometimes years, to complete a single work. Day after day, Jelena returns to the loom while life around her continues. Conversations, everyday worries, news and political events also permeate the weaving. To weave means to endure, to persevere and to continue working despite changing circumstances. This continuity becomes a kind of testimony. Words flow through the loom and become part of the textile. Across several meters, different languages, signs and patterns appear alongside everyday expressions, repeating again and again. Some arise from shared experiences; others from situations emerging in the process of work. Over time, the narrative itself changes. It accumulates fragments and at certain moments seems to contract into just a few words: war, tears, waiting. The textile preserves the story of what happened while it was being woven. Between the threads and chains, a little copper appears – the conductive material used in cables, electrical connections and communication systems. But here connection is woven slowly – by hand, thread by thread. In the world we live in, such an image of connection is not easy to perceive. We have never had so many ways to communicate, yet the experience of disconnection seems to be growing rapidly. That is why handmade works try to speak, to understand and to wait, reducing the distance between us so that dialogue may emerge – not necessarily complete. For the textile to exist, connections are necessary, but to preserve its structure, tension is required. Perhaps the question is this: what does it mean today to remain together, and what kinds of connections are we able to preserve? Jelena Škulis is an artist, lecturer, researcher and Doctor of Arts. Her creative practice is based on research into handicraft, materiality, weaving, relationality and community. In her work, she reflects on social and political themes using