From a very young age, the author was surrounded by a collection of toys in her home environment, which aroused controversial feelings in her. The artwork reveals not necessarily pleasant associations with childhood images. The soft plush toy is no longer something innocent but takes on different, non-traditional connotations. The author turns them inside out, emphasizing and revealing the invisible side that can be difficult and sad. The textile sculpture is a symbol of purification and liberation, reminiscent of the umbilical cord, while it also represents the reuse of redundant objects collected within a limited field of artistic interest. The secondary use of objects in art represents a small but important step towards reducing climate change and carbon footprint.
Martyna Plioplyte-Zujiene is a textile artist, currently finishing her MA at the Department of Textile Art and Design of the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Her artistic language focuses on issues of sustainability and saving our planet.
Foto: Maša Pirc / BIEN 2023
