A cultural-historical reference to Nicolas Poussin's painting (1637–1638), which depicts a pastoral scene with idealized shepherds of classical antiquity gathered around a tomb bearing the Latin inscription "Et in Arcadia ego". Its several possible translations — "Even in Arcadia, there am I"; "I too am in Arcadia"; or "I too was once in Arcadia" — reveal the romanticised, 17th century attitude toward death, its warning presence even in moments of happiness. J. Kupčs's porcelain figures, in turn, are merely memories of some possibly happy existence, for the figures are broken. Only fragments remain of a former wholeness.
The work was created at the Kaunas International Bone China Symposium 2022 (Lithuania); a group of seven sculptures, made of fritted porcelain, approximate dimensions — base diameter 12 cm, height 18 cm.
Text: Ieva Rupenheite
