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 depicts the side profile of a man's face and head, artistically rendered with both mechanical and organic elements entwined within each other. His head seems to dissolve or morph into an intricate maze of gears, cogs, and machinery, possibly symbolizing thoughts or emotions mechanized into tangible elements. The colors used are subdued, with hints of green, red, and blue subtly intertwined within the predominantly grey and black machinery. He has a bushy, unkempt beard and a visible ear, with the hair on his head merging with or transforming into the mechanical components. This portrayal could evoke the idea of a person whose inner feelings and outward persona are closely interlinked with the complexities and intricacies of a 'machine,' suggestive of how human experiences and emotions might be processed or 'systematized' internally. The overall effect is both striking and thought-provoking, blending elements of humanity with the mechanical in a visually compelling manner.
