In the Świteź series, depictions of the underwater realm, inspired by the text of Adam Mickiewicz, centre on its heroines: the denizens of a submerged city and the vegetation found in its depths. Echoing the ballad, the narrative unfolds through a visual language in which the boundaries of the real and the fantastical dissolve, and the force of nature asserts its supremacy. Liliana’s artistic approach evokes a sense of communal existence, in which female figures merge with the lake’s fauna and flora. Their bodies drift weightlessly, limbs transforming into elegant fins, while their eyes glisten, encrusted with shells.
According to the legend, Lake Świteź conceals the secret of a submerged city. The tale dates back to the 11th century, when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was attacked by Ruthenia. As the men left to defend the land, the city was left to its women. Upon being besieged, the women of Świteź chose death over submission. At that moment, a miracle occurred: the earth opened and engulfed the city, and in its place emerged a lake of extraordinary beauty. Upon its surface bloomed flowers of an unprecedented kind – the transformed women of Świteź. These plants lured the invaders with their intoxicating scent and form, only to cause their demise upon being picked, thus becoming both a symbol of courage and a curse to those who disturbed them. Other variations of the legend suggest that the city’s denizens continue to live beneath the lake, their songs still audible on certain nights.
Within the exhibition, Zeic immerses us in this submerged realm, reimagined through queer and ecofeminist sensibilities. In a series of intarsia works, feminine forms intertwine with botanical ones; identities blur, subjectivities coalesce. The dynamic of this entanglement is articulated through gestures of care, sacrifice, and tactile connection. These damp depths widen sensory perception, transcending the visual and ushering viewers into a realm beyond the anthropocentric. In Zeic’s telling, the shared ground between queer and plant ecologies is cultivated by oddities, outcasts, recluses, relict species, natural anomalies, and maladies. It is in these marginal, submerged zones that hybrid life-forms and untamed beauty begin to flourish.
Flora and Fauna Depicted in the Świteź Series
Floating pondweed (Potamogeton natans) – an aquatic plant anchored by roots to the substrate. It is characterised by light green leaves that float on the water surface, while its long branches can extend over significant distances. The plant possesses a round stem often marked with dark, circular spots near the base. Its flowers are arranged in cylindrical spikes that rise above the water’s surface.
Water lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna) – also known as Dortmann’s lobelia or lake lobelia. This aquatic herbaceous plant has a rhizomatous root system, forming a rosette of underwater leaves and an upright flowering stem. It grows in shallow water along lake margins at depths of 10–30 cm and does not flower in deeper zones. When in bloom, the flowering stem rises above the water surface. The plant’s submerged leaf rosette is distinctive. Water lobelia is toxic, containing the alkaloid lobeline.
Lake quillwort (Isoetes lacustris) – a small, perennial aquatic plant that grows in dense tufts, often forming extensive stands in lakes characterised by clear water and low nutrient levels. Its shoots are short, arising from a corm-like base, and typically reach 5 to 15 cm in height. The leaves are slender, awl-shaped, and range from light to dark green, arranged in a basal rosette. They resemble a cluster of long pine needles embedded in the lakebed.
Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) – this plant favours moist habitats such as riverbanks, ditches, and wetlands. It has large, cylindrical, and thickened rhizomes. Its fleshy, reddish stem is usually solitary and erect, attaining heights up to 40 cm. The stem bears pink scales that gradually turn green. The plant is distinguished by small stem leaves and substantial basal leaves emerging from the rhizome.
Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) – a parasitic flatworm with a flattened, leaf-like body, growing to several centimetres in length. Its soft, translucent body is equipped with prominent oral and ventral suckers, allowing it to attach to host tissues. The liver fluke inhabits the liver and bile ducts of mammals, feeding on blood and host tissue cells. Its life cycle involves aquatic larval stages, with a water snail serving as an intermediate host.
Algae – autotrophic organisms, often microscopic, inhabiting both freshwater and marine environments. They form colonies or filamentous structures floating freely in the water or anchored to substrates. Although lacking differentiated plant organs, algae play a vital ecological role in oxygen production and constitute the foundation of aquatic food webs.
Cholera bacterium (Vibrio cholerae) – a comma-shaped bacterium propelled by a single polar flagellum. It occurs naturally in freshwater and brackish environments, though certain strains are pathogenic to humans. Upon entering the human digestive tract, it can cause severe diarrhoea leading to dehydration. The bacterium is capable of forming biofilms on water surfaces and can persist in the environment by entering a dormant state.
Planorbis pond snail (Planorbis planorbis) – a Palearctic species of freshwater snail. It inhabits diverse water bodies rich in aquatic vegetation, favouring stagnant or slow-moving waters. It is also found in temporary water bodies that periodically dry out. In Poland, this species is widespread and common.
One-flowered spikerush (Eleocharis uniglumis) – a species in the sedge family (Cyperaceae). It is a small plant reaching heights of 2–12 cm. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, sessile, and awl-shaped, measuring up to 10 cm long and 2 mm wide. The inflorescence comprises small spikes containing several female flowers and a single male flower. In Belarus, it is found exclusively in Lake Świteź.
phot. Małgorzata Kujda
