tallinna XII graafikatriennaal

jurate stauskaite (lithuania)

1. tell us about your everyday environment,
your hobbies and lifestyle

2. what do you see as the point of your works?

3. tell us your thoughts on the problems printmaking is facing today ? what might they be and where's the solution?

4. do you use computers in your work,
and if so, how do they help you and what do you think of them?

5. what do you think are the best and worst sides of print art?

6. what does printmaking give and mean to you?

7. where did you get the idea from to take part
in the tallinn print triennial?

8. your favourite artists?

i am a "free spirited" artist and never commit myself to a daily routine, especially when it concerns my work. i don't go to my studio everyday to produce a picture of the day. the cycles of my graphics, drawings or paintings appear organically, occasionally with as much as a month or perhaps even a year between works. this is particularly true now that i am so "obsessed" with the art school i opened 10 years ago, right after the declaration of re-independence. it has really taken off and we now have over 200 students of different age groups and 10 teachers. over this difficult and fascinating decade we have created a new system of education through art. the point is not just to give professional training; rather, it is to build one's whole personality through the perception of art. this idea has received wide acclaim in many scandinavian countries, especially denmark and finland. every artist who works in my school has designed their own original teaching programme, on condition that the programme does not contradict the main concepts of the school. we are currently working on a textbook about education through art, which will be published by a very serious private publisher.

thus, the problem of free time does not even come up. my free time, which i miss more and more often, is the time i get with blank sheets of paper. two years have passed since my last cycle, c'est la vie (1998); this year i shall put a work entitled here on display at the tallinn triennial. i have always had special feelings towards tallinn's graphics triennial, because in the soviet years it used to be the only opportunity for the three of us to get a breath of fresh air. getting accepted in the triennial was always a challenge for us lithuanians. there was always a big group of artists working in graphics here, which meant we were involved in mutual competition; sometimes the competition even called for blood. notwithstanding several unpleasant events, i have been lucky to participate in almost every triennial since 1974. in 1986 i was awarded a diploma. however, i did not even try to participate in last year's triennial, for the simple reason that six years ago i sensed - as, in fact, did all lithuanians - that the organisers were ignoring their nearest neighbours. i must confess that i felt angry and promised myself never to set my foot there again. but time passes, and i think that the feelings we all had then had a lot to do with the tensions caused by the period. possibly we were simply too attached to the close friends and intense emotional experiences we remembered from previous triennials and did not want to accept the fact that the new people were not interested in that. yet my most cherished, intimate experience was a close friendship with marju mutsu. it started during previous years; her work was distinct and different to that of her peers in estonian graphic art, but also very close to me personally. it was, still remains and will forever be the main bridge to tallinn. we became acquainted with her more through her work than through personal encounters, and yet i cannot find anything equal to this kind of link. after she passed away i arranged an exhibition of her works in vilnius, put together a catalogue and published an article in a magazine about her wonderful personality and her art. one of my big cycles, white bird sheds black feather, is dedicated to her. till now she is my favourite artist and sometimes i have a feeling that i have picked up and continued her thoughts and ideas in my works, as if she bequested them to me. what are those works about? some are about life. some are about a man. true, often the motive of a woman recurs throughout, because we women know a woman's life best. i feel that this outstanding artist hasn't yet been shown the appreciation she deserves in her homeland, and that her power of penetration and will, and her original technique still await discovery.

speaking about technique, i must say that i favour the old methods of printmaking, particularly metal etching. i am getting more and more enthusiastic about drypoint technique, because it is always closest to emotional, true results. it is close to drawing, which i simply adore. i think that marju was an innovator in this area. in that period your graphics saw a boom of technological innovations and there was an obvious infatuation with the material. it made a powerful impact and influenced all the baltic prints, whereas marju mutsu's etchings - spiky and messy - struck a different cord and were proponents of a different element, air, breathing. she was my mentor and her works are my school. till now i have been seeking something similar to this kindred spirit in all the european and world catalogues; sometimes i spot some. a whole generation of my colleagues straightforwardly copied your techniques, held its breath and for many years and without any reservation considered your graphic art the leader in the baltics.

it is good that the old techniques cannot be replaced, that there will always be a pencil and a quill. no computer will ever replace the touch of a human hand; i consider its appearance in the world -particularly in the world of art - a form of suicide. i like etching for one more reason: every print may appear as a very different work. the process is infinite and therefore fascinating; the more you do it, the more strongly you are attracted to it. i am positive and i notice that the traditional techniques are making their return, that they are being missed. the other problem is that the new generation does not wish to dirty its hands and breathe in petrol and nitric acid fumes. yet there will always be fools who save the world; they may save our graphic art as well. is your opinion different?

computers are pleasant toys and very useful if you wish to put together a book or draw the plan of the house. but what does that have in common with creativity? i have never witnessed a sample of computer work that surpassed the old art, or, moreover, showed that behind it there was a living, breathing individual at work. i think that the possibility of making unlimited reproductions is a constraint on the authenticity of creative work.

the best qualities of the old techniques in graphics are those that do not let the artist rush, force the artist to stick with the idea and remodel it inside, finger the material, caress and feel it as a strange body, but one with whom you are in love already. i find that one of the negative qualities is a certain braking mechanism, i.e. something which always appears when you try to overcome the resistance of the material. this often makes the idea differ from the result, especially when etching in drypoint, but it also makes the result unpredictable and remains the point of interest, which lets you keep trying to come closer and closer to the core.

thus, this year i come back to tallinn. my diptych here was displayed in lithuania. it is new to me and i do not know it very well myself. therefore i keep thinking about it and guessing how is it doing in tallinn without me…. i am also very happy because i was selected by your strict international board.

i congratulate myself on this occasion. i have a feeling that after the exhibition i will experience a strong drive to stand at my old pressing machine.


	jurate stauskaite (lithuania) 1. tell us about your everyday environment, your hobbies and lifestyle 2. what do you see as the point of your works? 3. tell us your thoughts on the problems printmaking is facing today ? what might they be and where's the solution? 4. do you use computers in your work, and if so, how do they help you and what do you think of them? 5. what do you think are the best and worst sides of print art? 6. what does printmaking give and mean to you? 7. where did you get the idea from to take part in the tallinn print triennial? 8. your favourite artists? i am a "free spirited" artist and never commit myself to a daily routine, especially when it concerns my work. i don't go to my studio everyday to produce a picture of the day. the cycles of my graphics, drawings or paintings appear organically, occasionally with as much as a month or perhaps even a year between works. this is particularly true now that i am so "obsessed" with the art school i opened 10 years ago, right after the declaration of re-independence. it has really taken off and we now have over 200 students of different age groups and 10 teachers. over this difficult and fascinating decade we have created a new system of education through art. the point is not just to give professional training; rather, it is to build one's whole personality through the perception of art. this idea has received wide acclaim in many scandinavian countries, especially denmark and finland. every artist who works in my school has designed their own original teaching programme, on condition that the programme does not contradict the main concepts of the school. we are currently working on a textbook about education through art, which will be published by a very serious private publisher. thus, the problem of free time does not even come up. my free time, which i miss more and more often, is the time i get with blank sheets of paper. two years have passed since my last cycle, c'est la vie (1998); this year i shall put a work entitled here on display at the tallinn triennial. i have always had special feelings towards tallinn's graphics triennial, because in the soviet years it used to be the only opportunity for the three of us to get a breath of fresh air. getting accepted in the triennial was always a challenge for us lithuanians. there was always a big group of artists working in graphics here, which meant we were involved in mutual competition; sometimes the competition even called for blood. notwithstanding several unpleasant events, i have been lucky to participate in almost every triennial since 1974. in 1986 i was awarded a diploma. however, i did not even try to participate in last year's triennial, for the simple reason that six years ago i sensed - as, in fact, did all lithuanians - that the organisers were ignoring their nearest neighbours. i must confess that i felt angry and promised myself never to set my foot there again. but time passes, and i think that the feelings we all had then had a lot to do with the tensions caused by the period. possibly we were simply too attached to the close friends and intense emotional experiences we remembered from previous triennials and did not want to accept the fact that the new people were not interested in that. yet my most cherished, intimate experience was a close friendship with marju mutsu. it started during previous years; her work was distinct and different to that of her peers in estonian graphic art, but also very close to me personally. it was, still remains and will forever be the main bridge to tallinn. we became acquainted with her more through her work than through personal encounters, and yet i cannot find anything equal to this kind of link. after she passed away i arranged an exhibition of her works in vilnius, put together a catalogue and published an article in a magazine about her wonderful personality and her art. one of my big cycles, white bird sheds black feather, is dedicated to her. till now she is my favourite artist and sometimes i have a feeling that i have picked up and continued her thoughts and ideas in my works, as if she bequested them to me. what are those works about? some are about life. some are about a man. true, often the motive of a woman recurs throughout, because we women know a woman's life best. i feel that this outstanding artist hasn't yet been shown the appreciation she deserves in her homeland, and that her power of penetration and will, and her original technique still await discovery. speaking about technique, i must say that i favour the old methods of printmaking, particularly metal etching. i am getting more and more enthusiastic about drypoint technique, because it is always closest to emotional, true results. it is close to drawing, which i simply adore. i think that marju was an innovator in this area. in that period your graphics saw a boom of technological innovations and there was an obvious infatuation with the material. it made a powerful impact and influenced all the baltic prints, whereas marju mutsu's etchings - spiky and messy - struck a different cord and were proponents of a different element, air, breathing. she was my mentor and her works are my school. till now i have been seeking something similar to this kindred spirit in all the european and world catalogues; sometimes i spot some. a whole generation of my colleagues straightforwardly copied your techniques, held its breath and for many years and without any reservation considered your graphic art the leader in the baltics. it is good that the old techniques cannot be replaced, that there will always be a pencil and a quill. no computer will ever replace the touch of a human hand; i consider its appearance in the world -particularly in the world of art - a form of suicide. i like etching for one more reason: every print may appear as a very different work. the process is infinite and therefore fascinating; the more you do it, the more strongly you are attracted to it. i am positive and i notice that the traditional techniques are making their return, that they are being missed. the other problem is that the new generation does not wish to dirty its hands and breathe in petrol and nitric acid fumes. yet there will always be fools who save the world; they may save our graphic art as well. is your opinion different? computers are pleasant toys and very useful if you wish to put together a book or draw the plan of the house. but what does that have in common with creativity? i have never witnessed a sample of computer work that surpassed the old art, or, moreover, showed that behind it there was a living, breathing individual at work. i think that the possibility of making unlimited reproductions is a constraint on the authenticity of creative work. the best qualities of the old techniques in graphics are those that do not let the artist rush, force the artist to stick with the idea and remodel it inside, finger the material, caress and feel it as a strange body, but one with whom you are in love already. i find that one of the negative qualities is a certain braking mechanism, i.e. something which always appears when you try to overcome the resistance of the material. this often makes the idea differ from the result, especially when etching in drypoint, but it also makes the result unpredictable and remains the point of interest, which lets you keep trying to come closer and closer to the core. thus, this year i come back to tallinn. my diptych here was displayed in lithuania. it is new to me and i do not know it very well myself. therefore i keep thinking about it and guessing how is it doing in tallinn without me…. i am also very happy because i was selected by your strict international board. i congratulate myself on this occasion. i have a feeling that after the exhibition i will experience a strong drive to stand at my old pressing machine.