Ilva Ieva, a.k.a. s4rdinegirl works primarily in sculpture, installations, and performance, often blending organic materials such as dough, agar agar, and natural textiles with collage and digital manipulation. Her work revolves around the complexity of Baltic identity, drawing from cuisine, craft, folk songs, and landscapes in order to explore the fragmented cultures resulting from immigration, globalism, and contemporary politics.
Her installation ‘The Stone Sings, The Water Weeps, The Mother of the Wind Rejoices,’ inspired by lines from a Baltic folk song, features reinterpreted cultural elements and symbols, alongside a video performance simulating Baltic rituals. By challenging the perceptions of authenticity and cultural representation, Ilva invites the viewer to imagine the fluidity of an individual in the fluidity of cultures. Presenting herself as a “simulated Balt” – offering viewers a curated experience of an inauthentic Baltic narrative.
Her installation ‘The Stone Sings, The Water Weeps, The Mother of the Wind Rejoices,’ inspired by lines from a Baltic folk song, features reinterpreted cultural elements and symbols, alongside a video performance simulating Baltic rituals. By challenging the perceptions of authenticity and cultural representation, Ilva invites the viewer to imagine the fluidity of an individual in the fluidity of cultures. Presenting herself as a “simulated Balt” – offering viewers a curated experience of an inauthentic Baltic narrative.