On the evening of April 11, a new Baltic art exhibition "Down the rabbit hole" will be opened in the small hall of the MO Museum. Presenting works from the 1960s to the present day, the exhibition explores the interplay between the search for self, the return to nature, the revival of pagan ideas and conspiracy theories.
Curated by the curatorial collective "Roots to Routes" (Justė Kostikovaitė, Maija Rudovska and Merilin Talumaa), the exhibition interprets works of art through the so-called conspirituality (English conspirituality), or the prism of conspiratorial spirituality. Introduced by sociologists, this term refers to a rapidly spreading, mostly online movement in recent years fueled by disillusionment with political systems and growing interest in alternative lifestyles. Its importance has increased significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We live in increasingly turbulent times, which is why more and more people are looking for peace and refuge in nature, spiritual practices or even alternative worldviews. In the MO small exhibition, we will explore how these societal processes are reflected in the art of the Baltic countries. We do not take an unequivocal position on this topic, we do not seek to strictly criticize or only favorably evaluate the phenomena discussed in the exhibition. On the contrary, the exhibition acts as a space for reflection and dialogue, where the viewpoints of artists of different generations are presented", says Milda Ivanauskienė, director of the MO Museum.
According to the curators of the exhibition "Down the rabbit hole", there are many examples of how people who are initially attracted to health practices such as yoga, meditation or other self-help methods, end up immersed in conspiracy theory narratives. This trend reflects wider cultural changes, where there is also a skepticism towards government and science, and a search for alternative thinking.
“The confluence of wellness culture and conspiracy theories propagated by the political extreme right highlights the complex nature of modern beliefs and even faith. It may seem to a part of the society that there is always evil behind every unfamiliar order or phenomenon - no matter if it is about science, politics or technology," the curators of the exhibition say.
Although the themes of the exhibition are closely related to the changes in today's society, the romantic idea of turning to nature as a place of refuge was also relevant during the Soviet occupation.
"Moving out of the city, living according to the cycles of nature or using natural ingredients became popular after the pandemic - at that time 'real' values were rediscovered. Nature has become the only pure refuge - similar, perhaps, to the times of the Soviet occupation.
Here one can find a relevant connection with the processes that took place in the late 1960s and 1970s, when ecological, environment-related issues became topics of concern to the entire society. They were intertwined with the roots of the national revival, which were also, directly or indirectly, reflected in art," notes the curatorial team.
The exhibition "Down the rabbit hole" will present the works of artists Līga Spundė, Anastasia Sosunova, Viktorija Daniliauskaitė, Darja Popolitova, Aistė Ramūnaitė, Vita Zaman, Katrīna Neiburga, Laura Põld, Nijolė Valadkevičiūtė and Gertrūda Gilytė.
April 11 18 p.m. The opening of the exhibition will take place in the MO Museum events. They will begin with a discussion with the curator team and artists Darja Popolitova and Anastasia Sosunova, moderated by art critic Valentino Klimašauskas. After the discussion, MO Museum visitors will be treated to a performative artist's workshop - Darja Popolitova's 3D jewelry fortune-telling and Aistė Ramūnaitė's portrait drawing according to the aura.
Opening events are free with a MO museum ticket.
