Simona Žemaitytė

The Art of Dying, 2021

Installation with audio and video components

The work was realized in part with generous support from The Lithuanian Council of Culture

Commissioned for the Kaunas Biennial, 2021

The Art of Dying, 2021

video, 19 minutes

Commissioned for the Kaunas Biennial, 2021

Simona Žemaitytė’s multi-layered, research-based sound and video project The Art of Dying takes us on a series of fictional and factual encounters centered on the subjects of life and death, past and future, human and non-human. Conceived specifically for the Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum, excerpts of Žemaitytė’s abstract films on the natural elements of earth and water are shown on strategically placed monitors while audio recordings of interviews she conducted are available on audioguides or your own device, with stops throughout the museum’s displays in appropriate, resonant locations. The videos and recordings encourage visitors to take a moment to reflect on their surroundings in the natural history museum, rife with exhibits of specimens and taxidermy, and ponder what might come after life.