Illustrator Gvidas Pakarklis creates meticulous hand-drawn worlds merging infographics with magical realism

On a first glance, Gvidas Pakarklis’ intricate illustrations look like embroidery, with their minuscule line markings and absorbing details. In fact, the Lithuanian illustrator makes them using coloured pens and pencils, applied to common compositional devices – but in ways you’ve probably not seen before. Some of his images are diagrammatic and akin to infographics, but aesthetically far from the clean vectors that are typical of that type of imagery. Instead he brings a fresh, naive style and energy to maps, plan views of buildings, and cross-sectional views of landscapes. He also employs comic-style box-outs to zoom in on important parts of an image which can be so packed with busy goings-ons that they become Where’s Wally-like, full of discoveries and hidden pockets along the way.

Influenced by the work of Suzanne Treister and Paul Laffoley, as well as medieval religious iconography, 17th Century alchemy emblems, magical realism, plus many more bizarre rabbit holes of visual culture, Gvidas’ influences produce a truly unique Venn diagram that define his practice. Having almost gone into biochemistry, the draw of printmaking and illustration was just too strong for the recent Falmouth grad (lucky for us). Here, he explains how his drawings come together and reveals the stories behind some of his best pieces so far. Plus he shares visions for his near future – from experimenting with an airbrush to starting a publishing press.

It’s Nice That: How did you find your way to illustration?

Gvidas Pakarklis: I was born in Lithuania, Kaunas city, then grew up in Vilnius. It is the city where I’m currently based as well, since I’ve finished my degree in Falmouth. The initial interest to study art probably sparked whilst taking an extra-curriculum four year course at J. Vienožinskis art school, where I was introduced to the main fine art practices, such as painting, sculpture, etc. The one I embraced the most was printmaking. I can’t recall whether it was the technical process that charmed me or the grainy textures that would appear on the printed drawing, but it seemed like a magical way to produce artwork.

What’s funny is that when I graduated from the art school, I still wasn’t sure whether to commit to art more seriously and was actually thinking of studying biochemistry as a more ‘perspective’ profession.

Luckily, during the last year, encouraged by some good friends, I made up my mind to go abroad and study art. The first thought was to choose fine art and specialise in printmaking, but then illustration seemed a more applicable practice. When surfing through lists of universities in the UK, some of Falmouth University’s alumni work caught my eye, as well as the impression of the facilities they offer. A large studio space for example where you can have your own desk space. It was an amazing experience to study there.

INT: Are there any creatives and/or specific visual references that have made a big impact on your aesthetic?

GP: Whilst researching for my BA dissertation, I came across Suzanne Treister, whose work had a massive influence on me both aesthetically and subject-wise. Thanks to her I discovered the beauty of alchemist hermetic emblems from 17th–18th century, which I would count as early examples of magical realism. Their density and intricacy of symbolic details have truly fascinated me and pushed my visual language in that direction. Alchemy as a theoretical practice has also inspired me to look at objects and subjects holistically, to find interconnected aspects. There is another, really interesting artist – Paul Laffoley, a true mastermind of schematic drawings, whom I discovered through the same dissertational research. He is often called an outsider artist because of his utopian, esoteric ideas he implements in large technical blueprints. Their complexity truly influenced me to dig deeper when composing a drawing.

INT: What's the most important thing you learnt during your time at university?

GP: In first year, during a study trip to London, me and some good friends from the course met an amazing illustrator called David Foldvari. Despite many great tips and suggestions he shared with us, David said these words, which I can quote as the most valuable lesson: “The thing is to stay together, to have a collective, there is strength in numbers. You can create a cool scene wherever you are. If you don’t keep that university thing going it gets depressing. It’s less important as you become established, but definitely for the first five years.”

That collective of people, whether formal or informal, is really important, especially in these crazy post-quarantine times. I am really thankful that I was a part of such a motivated, supportive collective from the course, where we organised our own group crits and collaborative projects. I would like to particularly mention Bart D’Angelo, Helen Trevaskis, Loui Hewett, Nikki Nikolaeva, Stella Skenderova, Claudia Pezzini, Regina Jambor and Jade Newlin because of their criticism, support and excitement that would be brought when discussing ideas and projects. They’re all unique and great artists, I have learnt a lot from them!