Inga Dargužytė

2019 'The Disches'

The cycle of graphics The Dishes was created referring to personal experience and everyday situations. The pieces are of a relatively small format (cliché size is 22×22) printed using linocut technique, based on psychotropic plants and the form of a plant itself.

Our brain sometimes “cooks” thoughts, which I call “dishes” in this project; the brain presents them as soup or stew on a plate in our daily life. Some thoughts lift up our mood, and we feel fine, whereas sometimes “cooked” bad thoughts make us sad, disappointed, anxious.  The processes taking place in our brain become our “dishes”, which we feed to our body.

In the cycle of graphic works, plants possessing poisonous properties become “dishes”. They are symbolically treated as “killers” or means for achieving hallucinogenic effect. Interpreting the choice of “finishing oneself off” by means of nature with a certain dose of irony, I stress the beauty of a plant, its attractiveness, and change its form visually, modify it. Thus, you will not find any realistically drawn plant in my works, perhaps you will recognize compositional blots formed from it.

The aim of my project is to draw attention to the fact that there are ways out of the situations alike as well as solutions, like in this case. I invite visitors to admire the artistic result, learn about plants and their properties and treat themselves to “dishes” of thoughts.

Bon appetite both to your eyes and to your soul!

Supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture (Lietuvos Kultūros taryba)