Migrant's Dream

On August 2, Biržai Museum Sėla unveiled ‘Remembrance (Memories of Pensive Christ)’, a new solo exhibition by London-based Lithuanian artist Laura Dzelzytė. The exhibition explores themes of identity and migration, weaving together personal memory, national symbolism, and artistic innovation. Running: 3 August to 28 September, 2025

At the heart of the show is an immersive installation combining wood, wax and acrylic sculptures, creating a vivid, almost otherworldly environment. This interplay of material and illusion evokes both the ephemerality of memory and the enduring presence of home. Anchoring the installation is a solid oak figure of the Pensive Christ, a deeply symbolic motif in Lithuanian folk art. More than just a religious icon, the figure has long been the symbol of the Lithuanian national character and historical consciousness. In the context of 21st-century migration, this wooden figure takes on new meaning—as a symbol of reflection and blessing for a scattered, emigrated nation. Straddling the line between Christian and pagan Lithuanian beliefs, the Pensive Christ becomes a central signifier in Dzelzytė’s work, bridging tradition and contemporary experience.