Ruta Jusionyte - on the back of the elephant

On the back of the elephant – Ruta Jusionyte

With this sculpture, Ruta Jusionyte portrays a female figure seated on an elephant with protective, embracing forms. The animal moves forward calmly while the young woman seems gently carried, as though the journey itself mattered more than the destination.

The work draws on archetypes from myth and fairytales. The elephant, a symbol of wisdom, memory, and stability, becomes a companion and guide. The young woman, fragile in appearance, nevertheless embodies momentum, curiosity, and openness to the world.

The irregular surfaces of the sculpture reflect Ruta Jusionyte’s distinctive approach to clay modeling. Working without a preliminary maquette, she allows the material itself to gradually bring the figures into being. The contrast between the strength of the animal and the delicacy of the figure creates a tender and poetic balance.

As often in the artist’s work, humans and animals are no longer separated: they move forward together.

Over the years, Ruta Jusionyte has developed an immediately recognisable body of work at the crossroads of Neo-Expressionism, Symbolist Romanticism, and Magical Realism. Born in Lithuania in 1978, she now lives and works in France and has established herself as a significant figure on the contemporary European art scene, blending expressionist intensity with symbolic romanticism.

Her work explores the relationships between humans and animals. Her hybrid sculptures reveal a fascination with fragility and strength, innocence and bestiality, always infused with a discreet touch of irony.

Winner of the Académie des Beaux-Arts Prize in 2019, Ruta Jusionyte is now highly sought after by collectors drawn to deeply embodied painting and sculpture, where emotion and visual intensity meet.