ADELINA SASNAUSKAITE

Hi, thank you for visiting my website. 

I am originally from a small industrial town in Lithuania, but have moved to London, UK at the age of 18 to seek for better opportunities in the creative field. Working mainly within painting & illustration, I have been taking pictures since teenage school days, however, just as a hobby. In 2022 I travelled to West Africa to pursue a public mural painting project. It was a strange time of my life, as I felt disenchanted with the life in London and the capitalist approach to art that Europe was heading towards. As a painter, the highlight of my career has been hanging paintings in a white walled gallery of an up and coming neighbourhood of London, hoping that some wealthy person will buy them. I felt that art we make is detached from any deeper message or purpose, and even more so, widens the gap between economic disparities. Growing up in a country grappling with the collapse of the communist occupation and in the family of low socioeconomic background, the world of luxury and elitism is not the one I felt I could relate to. I yearned to turn away from it and go search for a medium that is more humanistic and explores the emotions of people with more impact and proximity. 

While painting murals in Senegal and Mauritania, I got involved with local communities and got to experience their rich spiritual lives. Spending days sitting by one wall, in one street, one village or city, has taught me ways in which to exist in someone else’s space, with respect and subtlety, but also with deep connection and curiosity. I learned first hand, that human communication exists beyond the tools of language, it lies in the comfort of each others presence and often, simply humour is what builds mutual acceptance of each others differences. Painting was not enabling me to tell the stories anymore, I had the urge to photograph, film and record. 

My approach to photography is gentle and delicate. I take time and thought to sense when the moment feels right and almost sacred. The eyes of the one that is being photographed, will reflect if the one photographing has been granted access into their private space. I prioritise building long term connections over quick disposable encounters. The experience and the atmosphere behind every shot taken is an important part, because above all the aesthetics and gimmicks, the story of how I got in the place where the photograph was taken is mostly what matters and gives substance to the image. I wish to speak about the intricacies the societies we exist in hold and the rituals we create as coping mechanisms to deal with the difficulties of life. It’s also an important personal mission to me, as we all just try to follow the light that leads out of the darkness. Travelling to places far and remote, provides the bridge between ‘there’ and ‘here’, ‘then’ and ’now’ and holds place for an exchange of experiences. I hope that this quest is what will ease the heaviness of everyday and give a better grasp of the short time we spend here.