NEW YORK, NY.- SLA Art Space will present hOMe: 2018–∞, the first solo exhibition in the United States by Lithuanian artist Aušra Kleizaitė. On view from May 1 through May 30, the exhibition features a body of drawings created over a span of seven years—works that trace a deeply personal search for safety, memory, and belonging through the most elemental of forms: the line.
At the heart of Kleizaitė’s practice, the line becomes a trembling, breathing gesture—alive with movement and metaphor—carrying with it questions of emotion, perception, and inner stillness. These drawings move between worlds, both geographically and psychologically, mapping what she calls “the road to safety”: a path that is neither linear nor certain, but winding, fragmented, and full of quiet revelations.
Born in Kaunas and trained as a printmaker and textile artist, Kleizaitė has long been drawn to the simplicity and immediacy of the drawn mark. Her practice is grounded in humble materials—paper, graphite, charcoal, pastel—but her use of them is anything but minimal. Within the most elemental of forms, she uncovers a complex interior world. “Drawing is a kind of therapy,” she writes. “A form of speech. Even music.”
Since 2002, Kleizaitė has lived and worked between Lithuania and India, a duality that informs both her visual language and her approach to perception. This synthesis is not illustrative; rather, it is embedded in how she sees and feels. “Life and practice provide me with new perspectives on human experience, culture, relationships and everyday life,” she explains. Her drawings emerge not from observation but from sensation. They are not portraits, but states of being.
The works in hOMe reflect this orientation. A dot becomes a line, which in turn becomes a path—alive with movement, tension, and breath. These lines are rarely neat; they jolt, spiral, hesitate, and pulse. “A line begins from a dot—its home,” she writes. “Then it moves. And somehow, it always finds its way back.” In this act of departure and return, Kleizaitė suggests that home is not simply a place, but a condition -- of quiet, of safety, of recognition.
Human and animal figures emerge across these drawings—goats, cows, resting bodies—each rendered with minimal strokes but weighted with presence. They inhabit a dreamlike terrain where silence is the dominant mode, and where everything—gesture, posture, negative space—seems to ask for permission to exist. They are still, quiet, sometimes fragile, always longing for safety, peace and happiness. For what she calls “home: sacred and fragile.”
Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Aušra Kleizaitė is a contemporary visual artist working across drawing, textile, and sculpture. Trained as a printmaker and textile artist, she creates expressive works on paper that explore the intersections of Eastern and Western aesthetics and cultural perspectives. At times, her drawings evolve into three-dimensional forms and become part of larger installations.
Since 2002, Aušra has lived and worked between Vilnius—the Baroque capital and largest city in Lithuania—and the lush, overgrown jungles of India. In 2013, she visited Odisha, a state in India with roots in the ancient kingdom of Kalinga, and was deeply drawn to its cultural richness. Her regular travel between Lithuania and India continues to inform her work with fresh perspectives on human experience, relationships, and everyday life.
Her practice reflects a sustained interest in the human condition—both spiritual and social. Guided by four principles—story, aesthetic, light, and emotion—she uses simple materials such as paper, charcoal, and pastel to tell layered, emotionally resonant stories. Her drawings explore the full spectrum of experience: war and peace, death and life, hatred and love, failure and belief.
Aušra Kleizaitė has presented solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Ukraine, Georgia, and India. In 2004, she received the UNESCO-Aschberg Fellowship, and that same year was awarded The Best Artwork of the Year 2003 (Kaunas Picture Gallery, Lithuania) for her piece The Art of Being a Girl. Her work is held in private collections worldwide.
SLA Art Space is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and offering a wide range of cultural events including live performances, film screenings, panel discussions, and gallery exhibitions that explore the evolving diversity and richness of Lithuanian culture. SLA Art Space strives to strengthen the identity and community of individuals of Lithuanian descent by generating new ideas and promoting cross-cultural dialogues through partnerships and cultural projects that provide mutual value and new perspectives, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to engage and share culture and art.
