Artwork in the room
Daiva Staškevičienė, born in 1968 in Vilnius, is a Lithuanian artist known for her detailed and imaginative work.
Daiva Staškevičienė’s artistic journey began in childhood and later continued through formal studies, culminating in a Master’s degree in Graphic Art at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Having studied under the prominent Lithuanian graphic artist Leonas Lagauskas, her work is grounded in precision, structure, and strong composition.
Her graphic work is highly detailed, yet it goes beyond technical skill. Carefully constructed scenes open into a symbolic, subtly surreal world, where elements drawn from imagination, nature, and folklore emerge gradually. Each work reveals new layers over time.
Alongside printmaking, she has developed a strong painting practice. Working in oil, Staškevičienė employs the glazing technique, building her images through thin, translucent layers to create a rich sense of materiality. Her figures—faces that do not represent specific individuals—feel timeless and slightly mythical. Set against nearly flat, undefined backgrounds, they seem to float between surface and space.
Her work connects to the ideas of André Breton, who described surrealism as a meeting point between dream and reality. In her work, this connection appears gently, creating images that feel both familiar and subtly uncanny.
Graphic works are produced in limited editions, while paintings are unique pieces, making them especially valued by collectors.
About this artwork+
The painting presents an imaginative and surreal scene centered around a female figure standing atop a massive, intricate dome-like structure decorated with mechanical and architectural elements. The woman holds a colorful umbrella and stretches out one arm, releasing small birds, which symbolizes perhaps freedom or lightness. Her attire and posture, coupled with a sense of motion implied by her sweeping hair and fabric, evoke a feeling of whimsy and fluidity. This dome beneath her is adorned with gears, clocks, windows, and what appears to be segments of streets and buildings, merging notions of urban life and time. The colors are gentle, primarily in pastel tones with segments of vibrant reds and blues, accentuating certain aspects of the composition like the umbrella and the birds. The entirety of the scene conveys a dreamlike quality, where elements of reality are playfully altered to create a fantastical world.
