From within

An attentive and purposeful encounter with art has a positive effect on health.

Works of art are multifaceted and integrate various aspects within them – which is why interacting with them has a healing power. Art speaks to us and helps develop resilience, the ability to cope with arising difficulties and act consciously. When we stand still and exist within our internal reaction to a work of art, we allow ourselves to open up to different interpretations and understand our experience in a new way, through different eyes.

From Within is the first exhibition in Lithuania to combine art history and psychology on such a scale. By relying on these two disciplines, we encourage reflection on the multifaceted impact of art. The tools of art history help us understand visual language, while psychology guides us toward self-analysis. The questions that accompany this exhibition connect these two fields – like Ariadne’s thread, they help maintain a direction of looking and thinking, compelling us to open up and experience the therapeutic effect of art.

We have chosen to present a thematic rather than chronological look at Lithuanian modern and contemporary art from the 1940s to the present day. The structure of this exhibition has been shaped by the personality structure model of psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961) and the therapeutic vision of art of philosopher and writer Alain de Botton (b. 1969).

For a work of art to help us better understand ourselves, for us to feel its impact, our response as viewers is vital. We invite you to sensitize your perspective and devote time to a dialogue, so that you can explore your emotions, thoughts, and experiences with an open heart, ready to answer the question: What is it that comes from within?