The exhibition presents M. Radžiūnaitė’s large-format textile work “Protect Us from Evil” (2025), created over two years using the tufting technique and based on the last book of the New Testament – the Revelation to John. This apocalyptic part of the Bible, describing visions of the end of the world and the collapse of the secular system, has historically received special attention during times of crisis – from the Middle Ages to the present day. The artist explores in her work how the eschatological feeling of the past resonates in today’s catastrophism, the apocalyptic fatalism arising in the face of constant crises and death.
The work is based on the seven-headed beast mentioned in the Book of Revelation, emerging from the sea as a symbol of aggressive, corrupt power, associated with the famous Number of the Beast 666. The artist adapts this plot to the present – each head of the beast becomes a personification of today’s centers of power, war, ecological collapse, threats posed by technology, decay of political systems, or wealth inequality, while the Number of the Beast takes on the meaning of digital identity, biometrics, and total data surveillance. Through a playful yet intellectual interpretation of the aesthetics of past epochs, M. Radžiūnaitė creates an allegory inviting to overcome today’s ills by believing in the goodness of the future.
Using symbols, mythological creatures, and monsters, the artist creates a cultural landscape where stories pushed aside by time and cultural oblivion come to life anew. By creating a unique revelation situation, she exposes today’s destructive powers as temporary and invites the pursuit of new creation (Latin: creatio nova) – the ultimate renewal of the cosmos and humanity.
About the artist
Monika Radžiūnaitė (b. 1992) – Master of Painting at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In her work, she reconstructs historical narratives using Christian iconography, creating witty, didactic plots that expose human folly and the shifts in cultural meanings. By reworking symbols and signs, the artist turns old iconography into a sharp commentary on the present, and memory into a political and spiritual instrument.
Exhibition curator Linas Bliškevičius.
Opening on August 28, 2026, at 6 p.m.
The exhibition runs until September 26, 2026.
Location: “Energija” gallery, AB “Klaipėdos energija” yard, Danės St. 8A, Klaipėda
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