Daiga Grantina: Lilacs

Key Takeaways

• Lilacs is Grantina's largest UK solo exhibition to date.
• Works blend fabric, wood, wax with plastics and silicone.
• Installation reacts to natural light and viewer movement.
• Curated by Thomas Ellmer, emphasizing scale and sensitivity.
• Exhibition runs May 2–June 28 2026 at Warwick’s Mead Gallery.

Pulse Analysis

Daiga Grantina has emerged as a leading voice in contemporary sculpture, known for her immersive installations that interrogate the boundaries between nature and industry. After a breakthrough solo at New York’s New Museum, her “Lilacs” exhibition marks a pivotal moment in the UK, bringing her evolving language to the spacious Mead Gallery. The show’s title references the lilac shrub native to Latvia, echoing themes of seasonal renewal while underscoring the artist’s nuanced use of colour and form.

At the heart of “Lilacs” is a rigorous material investigation. Grantina layers fabric, wood, and wax alongside plastics, silicone, and other synthetics, crafting hybrid structures that appear both fragile and resilient. This juxtaposition mirrors current conversations about the global material economy and the environmental impact of synthetic production. By allowing natural light to filter through the installations, the works shift in tone throughout the day, prompting viewers to consider how everyday materials transform under changing conditions.

For the UK art scene, the exhibition signals a growing appetite for work that blends aesthetic innovation with ecological commentary. Curated by Thomas Ellmer, the display leverages the gallery’s generous volumes to create a dialogue between architecture and sculpture, encouraging audiences to navigate the space actively. As visitors move through the installations, subtle changes in perception reinforce Grantina’s aim to provide “light relief during darker times,” positioning the show as both a visual experience and a reflective commentary on contemporary material culture.