Vika Prokopavičiūtė is a Lithuanian-born painter who lives and works in Vienna. Her abstract works develop from one painting to the next one—one begins where the preceding one ends. Each canvas is an outcome of a structured, acting-as-algorithm, system that adjusts itself during the painting process and leads to a highly associative, poetic, mechanical and abstract image. The method becomes the motive. She recently exhibited at Vartai, Vilnius; Haus, Vienna; NEVVEN, Göteborg; xhibit, Vienna; nGbK, Berlin; Mauve, Vienna; Skulpturinstitut, Vienna. In the spring of 2022 Vika Prokopavičiūtė‘s exhibition „Niche“ was held at our office which we share with project space „Editorial“. Because of that, we share artist‘s literary recommendations.
The Overstory (2018) by Richard Powers
This novel is about trees and people and how their stories connect underneath visible surfaces, like roots under moss in the woods. It helped me to zoom out and see, once again, how the world around unfolding: “the branch wants only to go on branching”, and the painting wants only to go on painting.
Painting as Model (1990) by Yve-Alain Bois
The collection of essays reflects on modernist painting questions, where thoughts evolve against familiar theoretical fashion. From the text “Perceiving Newman”, I caught an idea about us, humans, perceiving symmetry from the verticality of our erected body and not being ready to reverse a top and a bottom.
What Painting Is (1999) by James Elkins
The subtitle of this treasure is: “How to think about oil painting using the language of alchemy”. I think it is my favourite book about painting. You, as a painter, also an alchemist: you hope for golden outcome. You know your tools, substances, recipes—and there is still no gold, but maybe an uncanny slime. And it is also invaluable.
Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency (2020) by Olivia Laing
A collection of essays, interviews and letters about art and artists. I read it when the whole world was on a lockdown, and it encouraged me to get out of my apathy and fear: not because, but despite. I keep it in mind and in my heart also now, in this new devastating reality of unexplained violent war.
Photo credits.
Main picture: Vika Prokopavičiūtė’s photo from personal archive.
Exhibition pictures by Ugnius Gelguda.
