Emilija Škarnulytė Wins Future Generation Art Prize 2019, Opens Triennale Installation

Lithuanian artist and filmmaker Emilija Škarnulytė (born 1987 in Vilnius) has been awarded the tenth Future Generation Art Prize 2019, which includes a monetary award and a solo exhibition at the PinchukArtCentre in Kyiv in 2020. On April 5, 2019, she opened her national participation at the XXII Triennale di Milano, commissioned by Julija Reklaitė. Her video installation "Manifold" explores themes of denuclearization and climate change through surreal, post-human atmospheres. The work features three videos: "Sirenomelia" (2016), "Mirror Matter" (2018), and "Future Fossil" (2019), which imagine the perspective of a future archaeologist examining Earth's scars. Škarnulytė uses her body as a measure and incorporates elements like uranium-238, created 6 billion years ago by a supernova, to evoke deep time. Her practice, influenced by studies at the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art in Norway, addresses the concept of a "perforated landscape" and critiques ecological hypocrisy. She creates immersive spaces using 3D scans and mirrored ceilings, allowing viewers to interact with the imagery. The siren figure serves as a counter-myth to militarized Cold War sites such as the Ignalina nuclear plant (twin of Chernobyl), the Super-Kamiokande neutrino observatory in Japan, the CERN Large Hadron Collider, the Duga radar, and a submarine base in the Arctic. Škarnulytė aims to foster a balanced coexistence between planet and humanity.