Lithuania-born self-taught acrylic artist, whose inspiration derives from travel destinations, books, films, personal relationships as well as traditional and social media.
Best piece of advice I've ever received
Don't rush things and seize the day, whatever goals you're trying to achieve.
Eating out
Chino Latino serving pan-Asian cuisine on South Bank, Saporitalia on Portobello Road, Floridita in Soho.
Shopping
Cass Art for art materials, House of Frazer for clothing, V&A shop and Cedarlia by the Greenwich Market for various pretty little things.
Most romantic moment
When my internship in Barcelona was coming to an end, on the last evening I was taken for a ride on a motorcycle around the city. We rode all the way up to Tibidabo mountain, rewarded with spectacular views of the Catalan capital. From there we rode through the neighborhoods, strolled the streets and squares, where my friend used to play, when he was little. This wonderful tour was followed by a bottle of red wine near Plaça de Catalunya.
Best for a first date
Southbank. A drink or two at The Roof Gardens and a nice walk along the riverside towards Tate Modern.
Best compliment I've ever been given
I inspired someone to believe in oneself.
Favourite London club
I'm not a huge fan of nightclubs; usually prefer Bar Salsa for dancing.
Favourite London pub
Founders Arms near Tate Modern.
Most wonderful London discovery
It's art history related. I was slightly amazed to discover that Dulwich Picture Gallery (England’s first purpose-built public art gallery, founded in 1811) sprung out when Stanislaus Augustus, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth commissioned two art dealers to form a Royal Collection from scratch. Soon the Kingdom was partitioned by its more powerful neighbours and collection was left to Dulwich College under the condition that the paintings should be made available to the public.
By the way, carrot cake at the Gallery Café is really lovely!
On the bookshelf
I've recently re-read Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Recommended for those interested in Holocaust and emotional state of a human being, who's struggling to survive in Nazi concentration camps, who's striving to find meaning in suffering. The story reminds of the opportunity to "choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances".
Movies I like
The Hours (dir. Stephen Daldry) is worth seeing. It's about three women, whose lives are interconnected by Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway. All of them are from different generations and have to deal with suicide.
Playlist
Ray LaMontagne's song Lavender from his album Supernova has been put on repeat for days.
Perfect time out
Sitting on the rocks at the beach, which curves around the bay of Villefranche, small town in Provence, surrounded by mountains and hills. Watching the sunset and thousands of lights appearing in the windows. Tasting delicious Niçoise pizza, sipping rosé and thinking of nothing but how beautiful this world may be...
I’d go out to dinner with
I guess Salvador Dalí. His autobiography The Secret Life of Salvador Dali was really engaging. It would definitely be a marvelous adventure because of his bubbly, eccentric and self-confident personality, boundless imagination.
To an afternoon tea I’d like to invite
My friend Jules from Vienna, who I met in Barcelona a few years ago and haven't seen her since. It's a shame to admit that sometimes we just carry on with our lives and leave some people whom we had a wonderful time with in the past.
The perfect place for the afternoon tea would be Winter Garden restaurant, situated at the heart of the soaring eight-story glass roof atrium of the Landmark London Hotel.
Guilty pleasures
Vanilla ice cream with Baileys... Yummy!!
Scent
Can't choose between the two oriental floral, sensually vivacious and optimistic fragrances – Gucci Guilty and Caroline Herrera CH.
As a Mayor of London
Believe it or not, but I'd be rather pragmatic, down-to-earth mayor. Plenty of Londoners are overpaying their rents, dealing with dodgy letting agents or landlords and this decreases the quality of their daily lives. I think my priority would be housing projects that could allow to reduce rental prices and make housing as well as artist studios more affordable and decent.
Credo
I'd rather regret having done something than regret something I haven't done.
Little black book
♦ Circled date on my calendar: 15 April 2015 – Sonia Delaunay's exhibition is to be open at Tate Modern.
♦ Milanese bakery Princi in Soho for Sunday brunch or perfect coffee and cake combination.
♦ On my reading list – John Irving's A Widow for One Year.
♦ I have a habit of saving favourite quotes to my diary or laptop and find them later unexpectedly. E.g.: Even in his greatest dedication to science he had never managed to forget that people's goodness and beauty come from what they believe, not from what they know (Robert Musil).
Save the date: Zivile is inviting everyone to the opening of her first solo exhibition People Like Us, which is to be held on Thursday 26 March at 7pm at the Lithuanian Embassy in London. To register please email
Find more about Zivile:
http://zivilespieces.wix.com/zivilespieces;https://www.facebook.com/zivilespieces
{ Want to share and inspire? Please email: dov@londonglam.co.uk
