No Rival but the Past | 60x60 cm
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Description
Medium: Acrylics, charcoal, oil sticks, and pigments on canvas
Size: 60 × 60 × 2 cm
Year: 2025
Signed, titled & ready to hang
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Sometimes, a single artwork can quiet the noise of comparison.
Just one glance — and the rush of the outside world slows.
“No Rival but the Past” explores the quiet but relentless competition within ourselves.
Too often, growth is framed as surpassing others, measuring worth against external timelines and achievements.
But what if the real rival isn’t out there?
What if the only true measure is the version of ourselves we once were?
This piece is a reminder that becoming is not about racing ahead of others, but about outgrowing yesterday’s reflection — step by step, layer by layer.
Placed in a calm interior, this painting becomes more than décor.
It anchors the rhythm of the room — subtle, yet deeply alive.
In the early hours, when the light enters softly through the window, its layered surface catches the glow like memory itself — shifting, deepening, never the same twice. The pigments breathe with daylight, turning from calm grey-blue at dawn to warm, earthy tones by evening.
It stands as a mirror for the mind: a quiet companion to your morning tea, when the day is still forming and your thoughts are half-dream.
In the evening, it meets you again — no longer asking what you’ve achieved, but who you’ve become. Reminding you that without yesterday’s self, there would be no ground from which to grow.
- Ships from Hamamatsu, Japan
- FREE worldwide shipping (local import duties may apply)
- All sales are final
- Colors may vary slightly depending on your screen
Shipping
We ship internationally via trusted carriers such as DHL and Japan Post. Delivery typically takes 7–14 days from the date of dispatch.
Please Note:
- This work will ship flat in a sturdy, well-protected cardboard box. Expect your artwork to arrive with plenty of support packaged in to make its journey as safe as possible as it travels from the artist’s studio to your home.
- Customs and import duties may apply depending on your country’s regulations. These fees are the responsibility of the buyer.
The artist will be available for any support required every step of the way.
Thank you for your understanding.
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behind the scenes
Production Method
Auguste incorporates generous amounts of water, blending inks and acrylics to guide the natural flow of the composition. As the water slowly evaporates, she anchors the work with layers of chalk and charcoal, grounding the painting in a balance of movement and permanence.
Working predominantly on the ground, her large-scale pieces are shaped by sweeping bodily gestures, transforming the act of painting into a physical performance — where creation itself becomes an event.
behind the artist
About Auguste
Auguste Lu (@augusteluart) is a Lithuanian contemporary artist based in Japan, known for her fluid, emotionally layered paintings that explore the dualities of human existence. With a background in classical music and visual effects, her work blends technical precision with expressive spontaneity, translating life’s contrasts into elegant, thought-provoking forms.
Influenced by her Baltic heritage and Scandinavian sensibility, Auguste works with unconventional materials such as acrylic ink, coal, and chalk. Her minimalist palettes paired with intricate shapes are a direct representation of the inner contrasts she encourages the viewer to embrace. Each piece reflects her nomadic journey of self-discovery and invites viewers into a visual dialogue between light and shadow, presence and possibility.