Miniature Diorama Birthday Table

This miniature diorama was made specifically for Overcome Distances exhibition in Paris in 2024 during the Season of Lithuania in France. The installation takes us back to an idyllic day of Dalia Grinkeviciute’s carefree childhood in independent, interwar Lithuania. This day, her last truly joyful birthday—resplendent in friends, foods, and family—found her largely awestruck at life's beauty and convinced of its magic. The memory of this day, contrasted starkly with the reality of Siberia, undoubtedly powered her intractable desire to survive; to live fully once again, back home in Lithuania, a place to which she vowed to return.

This hand-made miniature diorama reflects interwar Kaunas‘ aesthetic iteration of Art Deco, and was inspired by the fashions, furniture, art, and cultural trends of the time. To find our more, click on the objects.