We welcome you to explore the mind of the artist Ceslovas Cesnakevicius.
Ceslovas creates dreamlike surreal worlds that in this series feature natural elements combined with urban motifs that evoke a sense of wonder and nostalgia. This seems rather fit as the artist himself is from Lithuania, a country which recently earned the title of the greenest capital in Europe.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Cesnakevicius shared: "Why surrealism? I believe, our lives are full of logical patterns, once those patterns get disrupted there's a good chance we get in to the realm of surreal. It catches eyes and makes you think. Take as an example an image of a simple watch, and an image of a melting watch. Which of those two makes you think about it, and which one of those two stays in your mind?"
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Ceslovas shared what inspired him to start creating surreal art: “Since my childhood, I've always had a creative mind. The creative mind generates energy, which needs to be let out. I was lucky to find the proper tools in the shape of photography and photo montage that helped to let that energy out. Creating something that makes other people think, releases that creative energy in my mind the best.”
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Image credits: cesces.art
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Image credits: cesces.art
The artist’s journey into the arts began after studying engineering and working a stable job. We asked Ceslovas to describe the moment that led him to discover Photoshop and transition into a career in art.
“Twenty two or twenty three years old, I was at a crossroads in my life, and needed something new to let that creative energy out. I'd seen many amazing photo-realistic images in advertising, book covers, posters, and they fascinated me. Surrealism in the shape of photographic reality absolutely amazed me, so I started wondering If I could do something like that. Very soon I had my first digital camera, laptop, and Photoshop.”
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We were wondering how Ceslovas conceptualizes and creates his unique architecture made with fruits and vegetables and what is the creative process behind these incredibly realistic yet fantastical images.
“The fruits series 'Genetically modified reality'. I started the series during a huge migration crisis in my country, continued during Covid, and finished not long after the war in Ukraine started. The period when all the stereotypes of so-called reality have been broken is still going on.
'The logical explanation to things has always been the main pillar supporting my perception of what reality is, but continuous events that made no sense over the past few years have brought great confusion to that concept of thinking. A bunch of weird things in politics and cultural life, but there is one that stands out the most - COVID, which, to be honest, I still don't have a clear opinion on. An illogical set of events, mixed with lies from multiple sides for political and financial purposes, lack of knowledge, and manipulation through social media. If science does not have a solid position on a matter, then words through Facebook, Twitter, and others can and will form that opinion for you. I'm not an expert on anything in this life, but I do have a curious mind, and I wonder- we can modify food, change facts of history, deny scientific facts to the point that it actually is accepted as the truth. Are we at the stage when reality for the general public can be modified? Are social media platforms the ultimate achievement of humanity as we know it, and will it eventually lead to some new artificial, scripted existence for an individual?'
Reality is like a sweet, juicy fruit that will break your teeth when you bite it, because on the inside it is made of bricks,” explained Ceslovas.
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We asked the artist to explain how his background in engineering influenced his approach to creating surrealist art, particularly in terms of structure and composition.
Ceslovas shared: “My studies of engineering definitely had an influence not only on my creative journey but on life in general. It's almost always I'm looking for symmetry, and some sort of balance. Precision to detail is very important. I can get away easier with mistakes in creating art than engineers in their job, though:) Once I have an idea for an image, I look at it as a problem-solving exercise: 'in order to achieve that, I have to do that' and so on. I love geometric figures in general, one can see that in my compositions.”
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And lastly, the artist added what message or feeling he hopes to convey through the surrealist artworks, and how he wants the audience to interpret the parallel worlds he creates.
“Not all of my work carries some heavy message like in the 'Genetically modified reality' series. Sometimes, some memory from the past pops up, and I create based on that, sometimes I want to share an idea, or point at something obvious, I do that through my art. Most of the time people react, sometimes my images resonate years after. I like to leave some space for the viewer to interpret. For example: I have recently sold three different images to an older lady, she found some sentiment to her own life in my work, although each of them have their own little story. So, I don't put pressure on myself by making statements all the time, sometimes I just like to be funny, or sad. I am not going to change the world, I know that, but there are people who find connection to my art, and I'm sure, deep inside they know, they are not alone, and they have a soulmate.”
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