Elina Ruka lives and works in Latvia. Her artistic interest centres upon examining the human relationship with water and photographic medium, questioning the knowledge on both subjects and juggling between reality and illusion. Ruka is also interested in culture, especially linguistic and symbolic aspects, looking at details that bring us together or make it difficult to communicate.
She has received her MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (2016) and is recipient of Fulbright Fellowship, Follett Merit Award and Albert P. Weisman Award at Columbia College Chicago, Jānis Grundmanis Postgraduate Fellowship for Study in the U. S., Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation artist award and has been funded by State Cultural Capital Foundation of Latvia numerous times.
Ruka's work has been published in Aint-Bad magazine (2017), Latvian Photography Yearbook (2013) and Generation of Place: Image, Memory and Fiction in the Baltics (2011). Her work is part of Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla, and the Zuzāns collections. She has exhibited in Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Denmark, France and the United States and numerous online exhibitions.
Education
2016 MFA in Photography, Columbia College Chicago
2009 BA in Photography, Ecoles de Condé, France
2005 Second-level professional diploma in English-Latvian-French Translation, University of Latvia
2004 BA in Arts, French language and culture, Latvian Academy of Culture
Solo Exhibitions
2018 Gravy Studio, Philadelphia
2018 Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia
2017 Framing Effect: Elevation, permanent installation, Glendale, WI
2017 River, Vedder Price, Chicago, IL
2017 Aqueous, Waubansee Community College, IL
2009 Could this become my home?, Creative Space Tasty, Riga, Latvia
Group Exhibitions
2018 Art unites, Global Center for Latvian Art, Cesis, Latvia
2018 Pushed Processes, Hokin Gallery, Chicago
2018 Shadow Fixation, Perspective Gallery, Evanston, IL
2017 Top 16, Kaunas Photo Festival, Kaunas, Lithuania
2017 Water, Midwest Center for Photography, Wichita, KS
2016 Albert P. Weisman Exhibition, Arcade Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016 Photography MFA Thesis Exhibition, Glass Curtain Gallery, Chicago, IL
2015 Inspired at Blu, Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago, IL
2015 Fluid Method, The Observatory Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Rādītprieks, Kalnciema kvartals, Riga, Latvia
2012 Contemporary Photographers from Latvia, Cultural center, Liège, Belgium
2012 Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
2011 20 Years of Relations, organized by the US Embassy in Latvia, Riga, Latvia
2009 ISSP 2009, Goethe Institut, Riga, Latvia
2009 ISSP 2009, Cinema “Latgale”, Ludza, Latvia
2009 Tresors of the Peninsula, City Hall, Lyon, France
2008 ISSP 2008, “Latgale”, Ludza, Latvia
2008 ISSP 2008, Goethe Institut, Riga, Latvia
2008 Corps Attitude, Bully, France
Publications
2018 ESTILA “Creativity Beyond Limits”, feature
2018 Broad Street Review, “Water, water everywhere”, exhibition review
2018 Humble Arts Foundation, “Elina Ruka Photographs the Mystery and Mutability of Water”,interview
2018 TVNET, interview on internet portal
2018 Baltic Outlook, August issue
2018 All the Waves Belong to the Sea, Diena, article, newspaper, July 25
2018 Art unites, catalog
2018 Pushed Processes: Reworking the Photographic Medium, catalog
2017 Aint-Bad Magazine, Curator's Choice
2016 Altered Landscape, Landscape Stories, digital exhibition
2016 MFA Photography 2016, catalog
2016 Aqueous, A-B Magazine, online feature
2016 Der Greif, guest curated by Lesley A. Martin and Ann-Christin Bertrand, digital exhibition
2015 Weekender, June 5, Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, online feature
2014 New Directions, Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, digital exhibition
2014 In Review: Filter Photo Festival 2014, Detroit Center for Contemporary Photography, online feature
2013 Latvian Photography Yearbook, essay by Ieva Lejasmeijere, published by KultKom
2011 Generation of Place: Image, Memory and Fiction in the Baltics, published by Mene.CC
2010 Group Show 36, Humble Arts Foundation, New York, digital exhibition
2010 NRA, newspaper, November 27
2010 Laiks, newspaper, November 15
2009 Kulturas Forums, newspaper, October 9
2009 Easyget.lv, cultural portal, September 22
2009 Diena, newspaper, September 21
2009 Telegraf, newspaper, August 13
2009 ISSP 2009, catalogue
2008 ISSP 2008, catalogue
Grants/Awards/Residencies
2017 Photo Lucida Critical Mass finalist
2016 Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation artist award
2016 Resident Artist, Library at Columbia College Chicago
2016 Albert P. Weisman Award, Columbia College Chicago
2016 John Mulvany Scholarship, Columbia College Chicago
2015 Lya Dym Rosenblum Award, Columbia College Chicago
2015 Jānis Grundmanis Graduate Fellowship, AABS
2015 Photography Workshop, Anderson Ranch Arts Center
2013 Follett Graduate Merit Award, Columbia College Chicago
2013 Fulbright Graduate Fellowship, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
2012 - 2016 Fellowship for Creation and Travel, The State Cultural Capital Foundation of Latvia
2003 ERASMUS Student Scholarship from Latvian Academy of Culture in cooperation with University de Picardie Jules Vern