Gentle, but dangerous. That’s one way to describe the latest installation by artist Jolita Vaitkutė, who was inspired by the National Museum of Lithuania’s exhibition kovotoJOS XIX–XX (Women Warriors), presented at the historic Lukiškės Prison.

The gentle, cunning, but also dangerous methods of resistance wielded by women drove Vaitkutė to seek out an unusual combination of form and means: deliberately choosing to depict a firearm using… women’s hair. The curators of the Women Warriors exhibition discovered several different allusions to women’s hair which, one way or another, left their mark on the painful events of 20th century Lithuanian history. The most unique of these recounts the history of a female partisan courier, who would smuggle secret messages by braiding them into her hair.

A hair brad, a mark of gentleness, becomes a symbol of courage and determination. In this installation, gentleness combines with a cold weapon and transforms into a body working toward the same end.

This is yet another reminder that, throughout the ages, the contribution of women in the struggle for freedom has been just as important as that of men.

The installation will open at 19:30 on 29 July 2022. Dance artist Sigita Juraškaitė and DJ Sandra Gemayel will also present their artistic interpretations on the subject of women warriors. The presentation is free and open to all.

The installation will run at the House of Histories through 4 December 2022.