Jonas Malinauskas on his work in Antwerp
Jonas Malinauskas
Before Year 3, Sarah Temple was advertising an amazing opportunity to go to Antwerp for a couple of months. It took the whole summer to figure out the details and manage everything so I could leave in late September. I was nervous and excited, but I managed to arrange my life in London, I didn’t lose my job, I got to keep my house, and I was able to just go and enjoy myself.
Joining the Masereel Centre (formerly Frans Masereel Centrum), I got to experience new and untouched things - I was surrounded by printmaking, artists, and the amazing archive. During my tenure there, I was introduced to every printmaking technique possible, which led me to undertake my own art residency, focusing on learning the art of stone lithography. I love contrasts in my practice, so using a technique that was unfamiliar and physically demanding felt right, especially since I had done a lot of work with new-age technology. It was a way to get back to the 'roots.' But I knew I had to approach it in my own way. Inspired by contemporary songwriters who express honesty in a raw and direct way, I felt compelled to express my own feelings just as literally.
Belgium was a time of self-love and care, so I did just that - I drew a self-portrait with lipstick and kissed myself, through the stone. I was very grateful to experience such a sacred craft and to learn all the intricacies of the technique. My energy and enthusiasm were felt by the team as well, and they decided to keep one of my prints in the archive. It wasn’t mandatory, but it felt great to be recognized.
Another amazing experience at the centre was working with the archive, seeing how printmaking has changed through the decades, adapting to new styles and tastes. It taught me so much about the importance of preserving history and taking care of it, as it can serve as inspiration or even as a way to travel back in time and experience the nostalgia of that era.
After returning to London, I realized Belgium had been a stepping stone in my practice. I started thinking more about different means of production, from physical to digital, how to mix the two, and how to build upon that. It also gave me hope—meeting artists and designers and seeing that we all work toward the same goal: to create something for ourselves and build a world around us.
Jonas Malinauskas