Janina Sabaliauskaitė is a Lithuanian born artist-photographer, independent curator, researcher and collaborator based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Sabaliauskaitė's work looks at the history of feminism and LGBTQ+ visibility and addresses the issues of identity, gender, sexuality, disability and desire.

In her practice, Sabaliauskaitė uses personal archives, her photography is the result of close personal relationships, presenting moments of joy and intimacy, celebrating the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and encourages dialogue about the fight for human rights both within Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom.

Sabaliauskaitė had her first solo show at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Collection Space in 2022. She also curated in parallel the first major retrospective of Lithuanian artist-photographer Rimaldas Vikšraitis; and together with Dovilė Lapinskaitė co-produces the ongoing research for Lesbian Zine Portraits, Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, UK; Since 2020, she is the co-creator and editor together with Laura Varžgalytė of LGBTQ+ printed art and media magazine Kreivės, Vilnius Queer festival, Lithuania.

Since 2017 Sabaliauskaitė has been an organiser of Sapfo Queer Feminist Festival in Lithuania. In 2017, together with artist Jade Sweeting co-curated On Our Backs: An Archive featuring photographer Phyllis Christopher. Since 2015, she has also run a community darkroom, while both developing her own practice and sharing her analogue photography skills, focusing on teaching members of the queer/feminist communities in particular.

Currently Sabaliauskaitė is working on a monograph of Rimaldas Vikšraitis (Kerber-Verlag, 2024) and preparing for her first solo show at Drifts Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania (23 November 2023).

CV

2023

Personal Solo exhibition | Drifts Gallery | Vilnius, LT (2023)

Co-Editor | Rimaldas Vikšraitis Monograph in Lt / En | Publisher: Kerber Verlag (2023)

Round table discussion | Photographing Communities in the North East together with Kuba Ryniewizc, Joanne Coates, Amak Mahmoodian & Dominic Whisson | Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art | Newcastle, UK

Dyke Into | Collaborative photographic project with artist Ieva Kotryna Ski | JCDecaux | Vilnius, LT

In-conversation on Queerness, Photography, Self-Publishing and Activism with artist Jade Sweeting, writer & curator Anastasiia Fedorova facilitated by Senior Lecturer in Art History Dr. Fiona Anderson | Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art | Sunderland, UK

In-conversation on Photographic Practice and Curating with Art & Photography Historian Dr.Carol McKay | Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art | Sunderland, UK

Contributor | Field Trip, A Collective Playbook For Making Art In The Outdoors | Foundation Press In Collaboration With Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art | Gateshead, UK

Workshop facilitator | Introduction to queer feminist photographic history & the b&w darkroom | Sodas 2123 | Vilnius, Lithuania

Photography Exhibition Participant | WE/ US Butches and Studs from working class backgrounds within British landscape | Photographs by Roman Manfredi, co-curated by Ingrid Pollard | 2023

Actress | Blue Jean | Writer, Director Georgia Oakley | Altitude Films | UK

Curator | Rimaldas Vikšraitis Solo Exhibition | Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art | Sunderland, UK

Personal Solo exhibition | Sending Love | Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art | Sunderland, UK

Group exhibition | Voices | Low Gallery | Riga, LV

Contributor | HÄN, An Archive and Publication Dedicated to Dyke, Lesbian, Trans, Non-Binary and GNC Communities and Their Creativity | Created by Ella Boucht, Anya Gorkova and Anastasiia Fedorova

Artist | Readings of recently transcribed love letters to photographer Veronika Šleivyte | Kaunas Artists House in collaboration with Thomas Mann Memorial Museum | Nida and Vilnius, LT

2019

Co-curator | Cinematic Inclusions | Lithuanian Poetic & Experimental Documentary Filmmaking | Glasgow, CCA; Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

Photographer / Videographer | Collaboration with filmmaker, artist and gender rights activist Anne Chamberlain | US

Residency / Archival researcher | Meno Avilys | Women in Lithuanian Film Industry | Vilnius, LT

Festival Programmer | Short Films: Personal Archives of Desire | Cinema Camp | Salos Manor, LT

Film Screening | Your Body Is A Wave, 16mm | Circa Projects & Giles Bailey: Festival of the Not | Star and Shadow Cinema | Newcastle, UK

Film Screening | The Rough Cut | Your Body Is A Wave, 16mm | Tyneside Cinema | Newcastle, UK

Co-Curator | Cinematic Inclusions | Lithuanian Poetic & Experimental Documentary Film Festival | Star and Shadow Cinema | Newcastle, UK

2018

Curatorial Mentorship | Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art | Sunderland, UK

Official Photographer | Bobby Baker | Great & Tiny War | Newcastle, UK

Artist Talk | Bound Art Book Fair | The Whitworth Art Gallery | Manchester, UK

Participant + Workshop Organiser | Lesbian Semiotics | Strange Perfume Book Fair | Chetham’s Library | Manchester, UK

Publication Contributor | Peripheries | Issue 23 | Art Licks Magazine | London, UK

Lesbian Semiotics | Workplace Gallery | Women Artists of the North East Library | Gateshead, UK

Artist Collaborator | Art Houses | Group Show | UK

The Everyday Political | SPG | London, UK

Artist Talk | Deep Down Body Thirst | Radclyffe Hall | Glasgow International | Glasgow, UK

Participant | Strange Perfume Book Fair | South London Gallery | London, UK

Artist Talk | Parley | Fine Art, Northumbria University | Newcastle, UK

2017

Group Show | I Can’t Remember The Last Time I Used Cardamom | TESTT | Durham, UK

Publication Launch | Habits of The Co – Existence Part Two | On Our Backs: An Archive Bibliography | Edinburgh, UK

Artist Talk | On Our Backs: An Archive | Rebel Dykes Fundraiser | DIY Space | London, UK

Co – Curator | On Our Backs: An Archive, Featuring Phyllis Christopher | The NewBridge Project | Newcastle, UK

Group Show | Moving on up, Moving on out | The NewBridge Project | Newcastle, UK

2016

Artist in residence | AA2A | North East Photography Network | Sunderland, UK

2015

Ongoing | Darkroom Demonstrator | The NewBridge Project | UK

Skills & Experience

Coaching / mentoring
Documentation: photography
Fundraising
Project management
Technical: exhibition build
Technical: photographic / moving image
Technique tuition: photography
Visiting lecturer (FE)
Visiting lecturer (HE)
Workshops (family / general)
Workshsops (adult)