Kotryna Ula Kiliulyte

Impossible Colonies

Residency

15 – 29 may2019

Impossible Colonies takes its starting point from the utopian project Dausuva (named after Dausos – spirit world in Lithuanian mythology) proposed by the Lithuanian geographer and diplomat Kazys Pakstas in the 1920s. His proposal suggested moving the whole nation of Lithuania to a safe place in the case of geopolitical tensions: it would exist as a peaceful colony in a purchased or leased land. Suggested locations included Belize, Madagascar, Sao Paulo region in Brazil, the Bahamas and Quebec.

Impossible Colonies presents a fictional archive of these migrations and includes photo etchings, photographs printed on silk and archival glass slides. Imagining the archetypal arrival to a new land through water, this work looks into water as liminal space, into fuidity of national identity and landscape gaze.

The residency at VU allows the artist to explore Quebec and make a journey imagined in the original Kazys Pakstas writings. She can collect photographic, video and textual material for the next chapter of Impossible Colonies.

Biography

Kotryna Ula Kiliulyte (b. 1986 Vilnius, Lithuania) lives and works in Glasgow. She holds a BA in Visual Communication (2008) and Mlitt in Fine Art Practice (2015) from Glasgow School of Art. She works with photographic image, video, archival material, objects and installation. Her practice explores notions of historical and private truths, personal and political narratives in the context of migrations and fluid cultural and national identities. Combining fact and fiction, her works propose alternative histories and futures, often adopting structures of archives, museums and documentation strategies. Recent exhibitions include: ‘Impossible Colonies’, Old Fire Station, Edinburgh Art Festival (2017), ‘In Silver’, Vilnius Photography Gallery (2017), ‘Tabula Rasa II’ , Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow (2017), ‘In Silver’ at Jill Todd Photographic Award, Stills, Edinburgh (2016), ‘Amber Room’, galerie LAME, Marseille (2015).

www.kotrynaula.co

Acknowledgements

The artist wishes to thank Creative Scotland and Lithuanian Council for Culture.