Morta Gudeliauskaitė: "Palaimingas laukimas

The exhibition "Palaimingas laukimas / Blissful waiting" explores the psychological state of weightlessness – a time when there is no physical war in the immediate environment, yet its presence in the subconscious is constant. It is a fracture of everyday life between being and not being. Attempts to live a normal life – work, time with family and friends, travel – take place against a backdrop of constant anxiety and empathy for those on the front lines. This contrast deconstructs reality and turns it surreal.

Prolonged uncertainty and a sense of threat provoke defense mechanisms – our inner animals. Everyone reacts to this state of weightlessness individually. The fragmentary nature of the works depicts a premonition of potential change and constant inner anxiety, even as life goes on its own way.

This exhibition presents 12 paintings created in 2025-2026. During this period, the works captured the feeling lived since the war in Ukraine, which was also felt in other people – those long known and those met only once. Although the idea for the cycle was born in 2025, the events of May only strengthened its relevance and closeness to everyone.

Author's note: on creating in a state of weightlessness

"This exhibition is special to me – it is my first solo painting presentation to the public. The opportunity to hold my own exhibition always seemed like a distant, hard-to-reach dream, so today I am experiencing immense joy. At the same time, I also feel a natural anxiety – after all, showing my work publicly means showing society my deepest inner thoughts.

The idea for the exhibition was born from observing myself and my surroundings: that strange, paralyzing feeling when you are drinking coffee in a cozy café, while your thoughts are where worlds are collapsing. Painting became for me not only self-expression but also a way to manage constant inner noise, to transform anxiety into something tangible and visual.

Although this first step is very joyful, at the same time a question lingers: will the viewer who comes grasp this strange state of weightlessness within themselves? By asking myself this question, I set a goal – I want a person who sees my work to feel that they are not alone with their subconscious fear or sense of guilt. We are all experiencing the same collective weightlessness. For me, painting is a language with which I want to share hope. Hope that even in a fractured reality, when everything around seems meaningless, it is possible to find meaning and maintain humanity."

More information about the author and the exhibition here.

The exhibition is set up in the basement of the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Church.

Let's meet on August 7th at 6:00 PM at the exhibition opening with the author!

Admission is free! Follow the signs or ask the prison team on-site.

The exhibition will be open from August 7 to October 7. Visiting is open daily from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.