In Aistė Stancikaitė’s paintings, the ordinary and taboo are equally adorned

Today, there is a prevailing air of artists putting their tools to the task of vividly portraying all things intimate; more photographers are daringly capturing the erotic, and an increasing number of filmmakers trade busy dialogue for a motif of quiet shots, to reveal a character’s psyche. In Aistė Stancikaitė’s work she creates a similar effect, pulling us into a fuchsia pink world where, once settled, we can appreciate her offering of a glimpse into the sexy, the fun and the human.

In the earlier years of her practice, Aistė was committed to a slower way of working, drawing only in red, with recognisable subjects and accessories surrounded by white space. Her oil and acrylic paintings now engulf the viewer, as she plays with shadow and gets almost too close for comfort. “I was interested in the possibilities that painting can open up, and the impact of larger scale work,” she tells us. Having now found her language and a wider colour palette full of reds, blues and hints of burnt umber, she is amazed by the avenues that have opened along the way (a dual exhibition in Seoul that closed only last month and some “selective” commercial projects). “I feel like my painting and drawing practices complement each other and they constantly expand alongside each other. It allows me to create work in a more liberated and intentional way,” she adds.