I was born in 1990 in Šilutė, into an artistic family – my father is a painter and ceramicist, and my mother paints folk art works featuring the Tree of Life motif. These roots shaped my love for ancient history and painting.
I graduated in Visual Arts from Klaipėda University, specializing in painting. I have participated in group exhibitions, performances, and art exchange projects both in Lithuania and abroad. After my studies, I founded the ceramic brand Monai Studio, where I created contemporary ceramics inspired by folklore and presented them at international exhibitions and art fairs.
Although I have created extensively in the field of ceramics, painting has always remained an inseparable part of my life. For the past several years, I have been working in my painting studio, where I explore philosophical concepts, experiment with techniques, and seek new forms to embody ideas. In creating abstract, meditative paintings, I search for a sense of connection with my surroundings and with others. I explore intense sensations, questioning whether they are universal and whether I can find a common ground to create a shared experience. I am drawn to phenomenology, dualism, and symbolic thinking – ways in which we shape our personal reality under the influence of both environment and the constructs of the mind. Painting, to me, is more than applying paint to a surface. It is experimentation, deep listening, observation, and wonder. The process becomes intertwined with life itself – I paint while I read, watch, converse, remember, and feel. It is a living, growing, and ever-changing act, born from thought, experience, and the desire to share what I have lived through.
I create my meditative abstract paintings by combining various techniques – pouring and splashing acrylic inks, applying thick acrylic paint with brushes, sponges, palette knives, or rollers, and engraving fine lines with a pigmented pencil. I aim for vibrancy, depth of texture, and contrast between fine details and large painted areas. I seek balance between spontaneity and controlled gestures, carefully choosing colors to express emotion. I paint slowly, in layers, allowing space to gradually deepen and take shape. I discover the rhythm and harmony of the work. I choose unprimed canvas or natural linen to enhance the texture, letting the painting breathe without covering it with a thick layer of varnish. The matte, textured surface adds a new aesthetic dimension – a sense of fullness.
About this artwork+
This painting, titled "Weightless" by Morta Kaniavienė, is striking and vibrant. It features bold, sweeping brush strokes and a dynamic array of colors, including yellows, blacks, and blues, against a muted background. The large, crescent-like yellow stroke dominates the canvas, suggesting movement or a sense of floating, which aligns with the painting’s title. The style of the artwork demonstrates abstraction, where shapes and colors are used expressively rather than to depict the real world accurately. Kaniavienė’s technique involves layering and scratching through layers, creating texture and depth. The composition is lively and seems to capture an ephemeral moment of lightness and freedom. Overall, the painting's abstract nature and energetic brushwork invite viewers to interpret it in their own way, reflecting on themes of motion and weightlessness.
