Interview · By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin · 10 min read
Quick answer: Baltic folklore wall art draws on the region’s pre-Christian symbols: the sun, animals, plants and repeated ornament. Lithuania-based artist Justas Jurkevičius calls his take “minimalist folklore”. Two of his designs, Sunrise Sun and Nature’s Dance, were drawn as a pair and are available as single decks (85 × 20 cm) or as a diptych (45 × 85 cm), UV-printed by hand in Berlin on Grade-A 7-ply Canadian maple.
Some artists find their style through experiments. Justas Jurkevičius found his in a school history lesson. He grew up in Lithuania hearing folktales and learning about the region’s pre-Christian past, and it never left him. Today he draws what he calls minimalist folklore: ornament, animals, plants and the sun, simplified until only the essential shapes remain.
Two of those drawings now live on deckarts maple. Sunrise Sun and Nature’s Dance were designed as a pair, and you can hang them separately or together. We asked Justas ten questions about where the work comes from. His answers were short, which suits the work. Below each one, we added some context for anyone meeting Baltic folk art for the first time.
Minimalist folklore, learned in a history lesson
How would you describe your visual style to someone seeing it for the first time?
“I got attached to it from early history lessons in school about our culture and folktales. I would say minimalist folklore.”
Two words, and each does real work. “Folklore” says where the images come from: a shared inheritance of stories, symbols and patterns rather than one person’s invention. “Minimalist” says what Justas does to that inheritance. Traditional folk ornament is often dense, repeated across embroidery, woodwork and woven cloth. His version keeps the vocabulary and strips the surface, so a sun, a bird or a leaf reads at a glance.
Ornament as a way of worshipping nature
Your work leans on hand-drawn ornament, animals, and plants. Where does that instinct to work with pattern and nature come from?
“It comes from the whole ideology of paganism. A strong sense of ornament and worshipping nature.”
That is not a distant memory in Lithuania. The country was officially Christianised only in 1387, which makes it one of the last pagan states in Europe, and the older worldview, in which the sun, trees, animals and fire were sacred, left deep traces in songs, sayings and decorative patterns long afterwards. In that tradition ornament was never only decoration. A pattern could be a way of addressing the natural world, and the same motifs kept returning because they meant something.
Why Lithuania shapes Baltic folklore art
Does being based in Lithuania shape what you make, or is Baltic folklore something you’d have found regardless of where you live?
“It definitely helps, as it’s one of the Baltic countries that has deep roots in its culture.”
The Baltic region has an unusually well-preserved cultural memory. Lithuanian and Latvian are the only two living Baltic languages, and linguists often single out Lithuanian as remarkably conservative among the Indo-European family. For an artist who draws on folktales and old symbols, that continuity is a practical resource: the material is still around you, still spoken, still sung.
Designed as a pair from the start
“Sunrise Sun” and “Nature’s Dance” work as a pair: the sun as the cosmic, the dance as the earthly. Did you design them together as a diptych from the start, or did the pairing come later?
“Yes, they were designed as a pair.”
That explains why they sit so naturally together. On the product pages, Sunrise Sun puts a folk sun motif into a sunrise composition, while Nature’s Dance follows the movement of living things through the year. One looks up, the other looks around. Hung side by side as a diptych, they read as a single field: sky above, earth below, in a format of two decks standing vertically at 45 × 85 cm.
What the sun means in Baltic folk art
What does the sun actually represent in Baltic folk art, for anyone encountering it for the first time?
“It’s the giver of life, a representation of cycles, light and protection, also feminine energy.”
The last part is not a modern reading. In Baltic mythology the sun is a woman: Saulė in Lithuanian, Saule in Latvian, a goddess associated with life, fertility and the turning of the year. The sun also survives in everyday language and craft. Saulutė, “little sun”, is an affectionate word in Lithuanian, and sun symbols such as the solar cross appear across Baltic folk art, textiles and woodwork. Midsummer, celebrated in Lithuania as Joninės or Rasos, still carries pre-Christian roots tied to the summer solstice.
There is a second layer. The Baltic states were occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940 until they regained independence around 1990 and 1991, and in those decades folk songs, crafts and ornament carried extra weight as expressions of national identity. The Singing Revolution of 1987 to 1991 is the best-known example. A sun drawn in the old way was never only a pretty shape.
Closer to the sunrise
Of the two, which one do you feel closer to, and why?
“I guess Sunrise, as I’m a fan of early mornings.”
A small, honest answer, and a useful one if you are choosing between them. Sunrise Sun is the quieter, more elemental piece. Nature’s Dance is the busier of the two, a procession of living things. If you are the kind of person who is awake before everyone else, you may feel the same pull Justas does.
From paper to a skateboard
What went through your mind the first time you saw your work on an actual skateboard deck rather than on paper or canvas?
“That it’s quite cool, as I used to ride them for a long period of my life. Now that my art is on a deck it’s extra awesome!”
Folk art usually lives on textiles, ceramics, or painted objects. What’s it like translating that tradition onto a skateboard shape specifically?
“It’s not as hard as I thought, as the skateboard shape is very easy to work around, as it’s quite narrow and long. Just like a strip of textile, which is where folk art is usually made.”
The comparison holds up. Long, narrow woven sashes, called juostos in Lithuanian, are a real traditional textile form, carrying bands of geometric pattern along their length. A deck is a similar field: tall, slim, and made for patterns that run in sequence. It is a comparison, not a claim about origins, but it explains why folk ornament sits so comfortably on this shape. For the wider tradition, see our history of skateboard deck art.
The best of two worlds
What would you say to someone who loves folk-art imagery but has never thought about putting it on their wall as skateboard art?
“I think if you are a fan of skateboarding and folk art, it’s the best combo. The best of two worlds meeting.”
Even if you are not a skater, the logic carries over. Folk art asks you to look closely at a repeated, simple shape. A deck, printed in UV ink on Grade-A Canadian maple, gives that shape a slim, upright place on a wall without a frame or glass.
How to style Baltic folklore wall art at home
Folk motifs of this kind work especially well in calm, natural interiors: rooms with wood, linen and plants, where a hand-drawn piece adds a personal, hand-made character without competing for attention. A hallway, a bedroom or a studio wall are natural places for a single deck at 85 × 20 cm. A diptych gives a wider, story-like composition at 45 × 85 cm. If you are deciding how many decks suit your wall, our guide to single, diptych and triptych layouts has the measurements. The decks have nothing on the back and are not ready to hang out of the box; a standard wall mount is sold separately, one per deck, made in Canada.
Sunrise Sun, Nature’s Dance or both
| Sunrise Sun | Nature’s Dance | Diptych (both) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 85 × 20 cm | 85 × 20 cm | 45 × 85 cm, two decks side by side |
| Idea | The sun as the cosmic | Living things through the year, the earthly | Sky and earth as one composition |
| Good for | A calm single accent, early-morning people | A narrow wall that wants more movement | A wider wall, a story-like display |
Where to find Justas
Justas’s work is in our Justas Jurkevičius collection. To see more of what he makes, follow him on Instagram at @justasjur or visit justasjur.com.
Thank you, Justas.
Curious how we pick the artists we work with, including lesser-known names? Read why we do it this way, or see the artists page.
FAQ
Who is Justas Jurkevičius?
A Lithuania-based artist who draws on Baltic folklore, symbolic imagery, animals, plants and hand-drawn ornament. He describes his style as minimalist folklore and used to skateboard for a long period of his life.
What does the sun mean in Baltic folk art?
In Justas’s words, it is the giver of life and a representation of cycles, light and protection, also associated with feminine energy. In Baltic mythology the sun is a goddess, Saulė in Lithuanian.
Were Sunrise Sun and Nature’s Dance designed as a pair?
Yes. Justas confirms they were designed together, which is why they work as a diptych.
How big are the decks?
Each single deck is 85 × 20 cm. The diptych of two decks is 45 × 85 cm.
What interiors suit Baltic folk art on a deck?
Calm, natural rooms with wood, linen and plants, such as a hallway, bedroom or studio wall.
Do I need glass or a frame?
No. The art is a UV print on Grade-A Canadian maple and needs no glass. The decks have nothing on the back, so you need a wall mount, sold separately: one per deck.
Where can I follow Justas’s work?
On Instagram at @justasjur and at justasjur.com.
Interview summary
- Justas’s style, minimalist folklore, comes from childhood history lessons on Lithuanian culture and folktales.
- His ornament and nature motifs draw on pagan ideology and the worship of nature.
- Sunrise Sun and Nature’s Dance were designed as a pair: the cosmic and the earthly.
- The sun stands for life, cycles, light, protection and feminine energy, echoing the Baltic sun goddess Saulė.
- He found the deck shape easy to work with, much like a long strip of textile.
More artist interviews
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- Yehor Bread: on constraint as an advantage
- SteBore: on why he wants your wall to start an argument
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