MO’s new exhibition “Down the Rabbit Hole” opens at the small hall
On the evening of April 11, the MO Museum is opening a new exhibition of Baltic art, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” in the small hall. The exhibition, focusing on the phenomenon of conspirituality – a blend of esoteric beliefs and conspiracy theories – spans from the 1960s to the present day.
Curated by the Baltic curatorial collective “Roots to Routes” (Justė Kostikovaitė, Maija Rudovska, and Merilin Talumaa), the exhibition interprets artworks through the lens of conspirituality. The term, a blend of conspiracy theories and spirituality, refers to a movement fueled by political disillusionment and a growing interest in alternative beliefs. This phenomenon has gained significant traction, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It might seem that there is always a secret evil lurking behind each ‘unknown’ order, whether it's about science, politics, the environment, or technology.
“As the times we live in are increasingly turbulent, many of us seek refuge in nature and spirituality, sometimes even alternative worldviews. The exhibition ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ allows us to explore how these societal processes are reflected in Baltic art.
As a museum, we aim not to be strictly critical or solely enthusiastic about the phenomena explored in the exhibition – instead, it serves as a space for reflection and dialogue, presenting diverse outlooks from different generations of artists,” says Milda Ivanauskienė, the director of the MO Museum.
According to the curators of the exhibition, there are quite many examples of how individuals, initially drawn to wellness practices such as yoga, meditation, and self-help, end up immersed in conspiratorial narratives. This reflects a broader cultural shift marked by skepticism towards the government and science, as well as a search for alternative thinking.
“The convergence of wellness and far-right conspiracy theories highlights the complexities of contemporary belief systems. It might seem that there is always a secret evil lurking behind each ‘unknown’ order, whether it’s about science, politics, the environment, or technology,” state the curators.
While the exhibition’s topics are closely related to the societal shifts in the world today, the romantic idea of turning to nature as a place of refuge was present during the Soviet occupation as well.
“A significant trend of living ‘off the grid,’ moving outside the big cities, living according to natural cycles, or using natural ingredients became more popular when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the ‘true’ values were rediscovered. Nature became the only pure refuge to be, similarly, perhaps, like in the Soviet occupation times.
Here, a relevant connection could be made with the processes that took place back in the late 1970s and 1980s, when awareness of ecological matters became topics that the whole society was concerned with. That was intertwined with the roots of national awakening, becoming one of the topics that artists were dealing with,” say the exhibition curators.
“Down the Rabbit Hole” will present works by artists Līga Spunde, Anastasia Sosunova, Viktorija Daniliauskaitė, Darja Popolitova, Aistė Ramūnaitė, Vita Zaman, Katrīna Neiburga, Laura Põld, Nijolė Valadkevičiūtė, and Gertrūda Gilytė.
The exhibition opening events at the MO Museum on April 11 will begin with a discussion with the curatorial team and artists Darja Popolitova and Anastasia Sosunova, moderated by art historian Valentinas Klimašauskas. The discussion will be followed by two performative workshops – Darja Popolitova’s 3D jewelry fortune-telling and Aistė Ramūnaitė’s aural portrait drawing session.
