26/09 No Vacancy – Brigita Lastauskaite LAND, SEA & ME

LAND, SEA & ME

Brigita Lastauskaite

24 Sept – 5 Oct

Songs I liked from the night. Spotify Premium ran out so I’m using Angus’ Soundcloud xx

I found I needed less research/pre-blog work leading up to this show, not because I was familiar with artist Brigita but because No Vacancy Gallery in Melbourne’s QV is one of, if not is, my favourite gallery to visit. I knew what to expect, the steel bar on the left as you enter, the concrete floor covered in genuine paint splatters from the walls being painted and the visible electricals and plumbing in the roof that give off an industrial aesthetic to the space. 

Although I didn’t get to visit my newfound favourite train station Melbourne’s Parliament Station, travelling to No Vacancy has its other notable experiences being situated in QV. I love the commute. Catch the number 6 tram from right outside my house that drops me a close 4-minute walk from the exhibition. I love the escalators in QV (might sound weird) because it reminds me of the Naples main train station. The kaleidoscope of escalators both above and below, all reflecting off each other almost creates a fun, amusement park vibe to the indoor/outdoor food court of QV, just like when I’d travel by train in Naples. I love the idea of traveller beers, and for those of you who realllllly know me, the small convenience stores/huts placed around Europe with one-euro beers specifically. Going to No Vacancy means I take the escalator down to level 1, go by Dan Murphys and grab a singular four-dollar beer as opposed to the nine-dollar ones sold at the exhibition. Tonight, it was Monsuta’s Okinawa Supreme Lager, four bucks with a member’s discount. 

As I was buying the beer and telling the cashier girl my number (for my membership discount, not just casually riffing off my number) she asked, “Theodore?”

“That’s me”

 and said, “You have such a lovely name.”

I’ve improved in receiving compliments as before I’d just throw away like a “ohhh you too” or something, without necessarily meaning it. Not that I didn’t think Lili was a nice name too, it just seemed ingenuine to give her one back immediately after she complimented me. I did read somewhere (when I say ‘read,’ I meant saw on the internet or Instagram or something because I don’t really read) that it is selfish to brush off a compliment when you are given one because they’re seen as a gift/presents, so by kind of like brushing it off/not appreciating the compliment/gift, in a way you’re like declining a gift from that person. So, for the future, if any of you guys reading compliment me and I don’t give one back, just know that’s the polite thing to do, and if I immediately give you one back, it doesn’t count as a genuine compliment, I’m just being rude but nice. Twisted, isn’t it? 

Australian artist Brigita Lastauskaite was born in Lithuania and has lived in Melbourne since 1998. She studied under French artists Prof. Annie & Patrick Poirier after winning a scholarship from the Salzburg International Summer Academy to complete her Master of Fine Art at the Vilnius Art Academy in Lithuania. She has been awarded the Art Residencies in Finland and Lithuania and is a finalist in the Hutchings, Fisher’s Ghost, Blacktown, and Omnia Art Awards.

Brigita has always found organic shapes and textures in the landscape to be fascinating. Her goal is to evoke a sense of place and mood rather than to accurately depict a scene. Instead of focusing on intelligence, Brigita’s paintings are visceral and speak to inner sensation. I was able to catch the second half of her talk as I arrived, touching on the flow of energy within the space tonight. She talked about how artists give through exhibiting their art and the audience gives back by simply showing up. She seemed so grateful for everyone who showed face but like in a seriously genuine way. 

It was wholesome hearing about how she can now lean on her artistic practice full-time and to see her massive smile when talking proudly about it. She described herself as an abstract landscape artist, painting en plein air sometimes and the feeling of being grounded and balanced in those environments. Her paintings on show are a way of sharing the motions of the landscapes with us, as she sits there “downloading the information” around her and aims to portray these motions rather than the subjects themselves. mimicking nature.

Brigita suggests that the titles of her works are “gateways” or “portals,” meaning they’re open to interpretation and aren’t in a fixed relation to the artwork’s subjects. I took this on board when observing the works, and the two paintings displayed adjacent to each other, 19. Autumn at Marysville and 20. Hills at Marysville caught my eye. 

Both being painted en plein air, the titles suggest exactly what Brigita was witnessing in front of her, painting both a landscape of hills and the environment in autumn. Painting outdoors usually involves quick impressions to catch the scene accurately, however, for Brigita who doesn’t necessarily want to depict the landscape to a tee, I believe each line is purposefully painted the way it is, incorporating the negative space for highlights between the loose squiggles, prompting highlights within the landscape. Flat paintings that aren’t forcing depth on us viewers, there’s a sense of freedom in both her style of painting and too in my viewing of the work. I feel comfortable deciding whether that’s a red stop sign in 19. or whether there is a penguin in the sky in 20. This sense of freedom when visualising an imaginary landscape Brigita allows for makes the whole experience so enjoyable as you get to walk around and see 23 different depictions of natural environments that others might not necessarily see. 

I didn’t end up sketching the space, but the gallery has an open, one-room aesthetic to it. Concrete floors and plumbing pipes exposed, the space isn’t a typical gallery setting with pristine white walls and wooden floors. It’s cold and harsh in a really nice way. The aesthetic Matt (the owner) has created contrasts so much with Brigita’s works that convey the movements of natural landscapes and colours of flora that it compliments her style, I think. Seeing these bright and loosely drawn works displayed within a more realistic, messier room/vibe when compared to a large, white-walled space, I think allows us viewers to realise how unnaturally displayed artworks can be sometimes. You don’t have to agree at all but seeing paint splats beneath her canvas’ or exposed wires and metal from the roof offers a more casual and comfortable environment for her works, something that bigger art organisations/galleries can’t quite create. During the show, there was so much chatter. Camera flashes everywhere, lots of laughter, etc etc…. The reason I’m touching on the environment of the crowd, and the fact that there was noise exaggerates this comfort between not only the artist and her audience, but the space too. No Vacancy doubles as a café during the day and constantly has exhibitions on. As I was chatting away with Matt, we discussed how he had an upcoming event on that Saturday night where two musicians on both the Harp and Viola were having a concert surrounded by Brigita’s works. It’s a shame I’m writing this on a Sunday because it’s after the fact, but I wanted to mention it as it’s so cool for art spaces such as No Vacancy to incorporate other nights/events around a singular exhibition, something I’m not used to hearing/seeing. 

I was chatting with Matt and Ifra (the curator) for ages and after rambling about myself to them, talking about my uni course blah blah blah we got on the topic of how I came here to see one of my Favourite artist’s exhibitions back in May. Rhys John Kay held his Made from Rain exhibition earlier this year and I decided to produce an exhibition catalogue to go with it. My teacher at the time encouraged me to send it to both the artist and the gallery and turns out Matt read it, and so did Ifra. They were saying how impressed they were and shocked by the lengths I went to when writing and sending it. It was cool to reflect on that with them and for them to put a face to the beautiful writing piece they once read. Anyways, I’ll attach the catalogue for those avid Moddpodge fans. 

I also realised I forgot to record my voice and discuss what I was wearing and all that..since I know you all love the sweet sounds of my manly, deep, husky voice, but I had on my dark Japanese denim pants, black TNs, a white shirt under a loosely ripped and tattered crewneck, accompanied by my side bag. I actually looked really cool and my hair was perfect. Take my word for it. here’s the only photo I got of myself. 

In the end, the show was sick. I ended up missing my friend’s dinner party in East Malvern for it (sorry Simi) but in a super nice way, it was worth it because the exhibition was super duper enjoyable. Meeting Matt and Ifra (I really hope I’m remembering it right because the curator was either Ifra or Irfa, sorry) and having a glass of wine with them was probably my favourite part, especially since it’s my favourite gallery. I urge everyone to visit, even if it’s for a coffee during the day. The second level of QV is super accessible with no stairs, No Vacancy is the perfect place to start your next night out unless you’re expected at a dinner in East Malvern…