Tapyba | Lina Mikužytė

U N C O N S C I O U S

80 x 60 x 4 cm

OIL CANVAS

2026

A G I ARTIFICIAL GENERAL INTELLIGENCE

80 x 60 x 4 cm

OIL CANVAS

2026

I N E V I T A B L E ?

80 x 60 x 4 cm

OIL CANVAS

2026

Through the painting practice I explore the psychological legacy of Lithuania’s dark history and the emotional burdens it continues to carry.

My goal is to challenge a viewer to question what it truly means to be free.

At its core, my paintings are an authentic reflection on the inner liberation process.

I was born on February 16, 1985, and just over five years later, Lithuania regained its independence for the second time. For 50 years, people had been accustomed to the brainwashing imposed by the communist regime, and its consequences are still present to this day. I think, we, as Lithuanians, have lost our 'soul'. It all began with our forced brutally bloody conversion during the Crusades, followed by the gradual but seemingly inevitable erosion of our culture, as the lives of the Balts were deeply intertwined and shaped by their beliefs, traditions, and values. When people are stripped of their identity, they become easy prey to persuade and manipulate and that is exactly what communist did to us and then we turned our gaze towards the West... But at what cost? My guess would be our liberation: authenticity and freedom.

During occupation the majority were conditioned to give up their freedom of thought in exchange for the promise of "equal material gain". Yet the regime decided where you lived and what you ate. At school, my older brother saluted Lenin, who was referred to as everyone's grandfather! Even though Lenin himself had no children, yet everyone in the Soviet Union was his! People neither spoke the truth nor expressed their own opinions. Instead, they learned that, in order to survive, they had to engage in various shady businesses. For example, networking meant you could get better medicine, secure a job interview, or get your children into the desired school. Giving up on your conscience is a choice. This brutal survival mechanism destroyed people's trust, evoked jealousy. People were conditioned to adopt victim mentality and had no personal responsibility because, under the influence of mass psychology, it seemed to dissolve completely. Those who refused to obey were either massacred on a massive scale or exiled to Siberia. Even today, far too little is said about this. Just as in the years of Lithuania’s independence, the exile remained a public secret — something nobody talked about, especially if they wanted to rebuild their lives in Lithuania — far too many pro-russians remained not only in government but also throughout various institutions to this very day.

People are still unwilling to confront the truth about their past experiences and the emotional burden they carry. Instead, they end up in various forms of compulsive behavior and addiction as a means of escaping themselves and their reality. Alcoholism, in particular, remains a widespread problem in Lithuania.

When Lithuania became independent for the second time it felt as it was just on paper: people remained stripped of their ability to make their own choices because they had surrendered their free will for 50 years because they chose to suppress their conscience. Their choices are questionable because they stem from a place of fear, judgment, competition, and greed. I attribute these dark qualities to our even darker past: the occupation. The regime succeeded in manipulating the way people think and live simply by instilling fear that persists to this day, even from a distance — we are constantly reminded of our “powerful” neighbour but… don't be fooled by big countries and their even bigger fears! Fear is just a manipulation tool used by the weak.

Today, AI companies inducing fear in much the same way as cults or authoritarian regimes do, using it as a means of gaining influence and power. But never let fear fool you (decide over you): no company and no country has power over you. We may be misled, intimidated, or manipulated for a time, but fortunately, that power is only temporary if you are willing to do the inner work and that is exactly what my paintings ultimately reflect. My paintings explore projected ant then internalized psychological burdens and complexes, such as guilt, shame, a victim mentality, fear, judgment, and, of course, low self-esteem imposed by the external.

My life has always revolved around the question of freedom. What is freedom? Are we truly free simply because we live in a free country, even though the majority are still psychologically imprisoned?! The stories of what my grandparents endured as political prisoners during their 16 years of exile in Siberia continue to fuel my hunger for freedom. I have learned one thing: freedom is not something you can lose or have taken away, it is something you must first obtain and consciously continuously embrace.