Olga was a popular drawcard at weddings

RESEARCH BACKGROUND Olga was a popular drawcard at weddings sits within broader scholarship in the fields of teratology and mythography, driven by cultural re-evaluations of the monstrous and otherness, particularly as they pertain to the feminine. Key texts in this field include Barbara Creed’s “The Monstrous Feminine”, Marina Warner’s “From the Beast to the Blonde” and Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto.” This print addresses notions of cultural hybridity, sitting within a survey of Lithuanian-ness through the lens of the diaspora. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION "Olga was a popular drawcard at weddings" references Olga Dubuneckiene, a Lithuanian actress from the 1920s and one of the founding members of the satirical Vilkolakio Teatras (Werewolf Theatre) in Kaunas, Lithuania. The original linocut contributes to a larger body of work that explores and interrogates the female werewolf as a barometer of shifting societal notions and attitudes towards women and wolves throughout history. In this instance, Olga operates as cultural signifier for Lithuanian identity, referencing an age when Kaunas enjoyed temporary capital city status and Lithuania celebrated its newfound independence from Tsarist Russia. The shapeshifting werewolf is re-imagined through the transformative guise of the actress. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE The exhibition Pasaulio Lietuva: Kurybos Horitontai formed part of a broader suite of events celebrating the centennial of the Restored State of Lithuania, bringing together 53 artists from 19 countries. Works for the exhibition were selected by a judging panel consisting of senior curators at the Lithuanian Art Museum in Vilnius, which served as a partner for the exhibition, along with the Lithuanian World Community Association. Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, served as the patron of the exhibition, contributing to the essay and providing opening remarks, testifying to its cultural importance within, and for, the Baltic state. Travel costs were partially offset by a grant from the Australian Lithuanian Fund.