About | ruuta

BIO

Rūta Kalmuka (b. 1974) is a Latvian lens-based artist living and working in Latvia. She became interested in photography during high school in the 1990s and studied at Andrejs Grants’ Photo Studio and a professional photography school. For over 20 years, she has worked as a press photographer while maintaining a personal artistic practice rooted in analog photography. Her work explores themes of family, feminism, mythology, and rituals, addressing women’s roles across generations, processes of growing up and aging and the environments formed through continuity, memory, care, and everyday practices.

Kalmuka has exhibited widely in Latvia and abroad. Her most significant solo exhibition “Interconnections”, concluding approximately two decades of work on family and womanhood, took place at ISSP Gallery in Riga in 2024. In 2025, she was nominated as a FUTURES artist (European Photography Platform).

She also works with historical photographic processes and develops interdisciplinary projects and photobooks.

Education and Professional Training

2007 BA in Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia

2001–2002 World Press Photo Seminar “Young People at Risk” for the Baltic States

2000 Seminar “Photojournalism in the Electronic Age: Techniques and Issues”, Maastricht, The Netherlands

1997–1998 Professional Photography School

1994–1995 Drawing and Painting Course, Latvian Academy of Arts

1992–1999 Photography studies with Andrejs Grants, House of Technical Creativity, Riga

Work experience

Since 2024 Photographer, Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation

2022–2024 Collections specialist, Latvian Museum of Photography

2016–2021 Photographer, photo editor, Photo Agency F64, Latvia

2007–2015 Photographer, Photo Agency F64, Latvia

1999–2007 Photographer, newspaper “Rīgas Balss”, Latvia

1998–1999 Photographer, newspaper “Diena”, Latvia

Solo exhibitions

2026 “DZEN”, ISSP Gallery, Riga

2026 “DZEN”, Sabile ART, Culture and Tourism Center, Sabile

2024 "Interconnections", ISSP Gallery, Riga

2020 “Close To Me” family exhibition with Vija Dzintare (sculpture), Ieva Dzintare (textiles) and Darta Kalmuka (painting), Ogre History and Art Museum, Latvia

2006 “That’s How It Was...” Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga

Selected group exhibitions

2021 “Self Publish Riga”, photobook “Duplicates”, ISSP Gallery, Riga

2018 “Implicit Memory” (project “Portrayals”), Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga

2010 “The Existence Space of Human”, Daugavpils and Livani, Latvia
2009 “Fotoforma +21”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
2007 “Aquaplaning”, Mencendorff House, Riga
2006 “Portrait” (Latvian photography 1980-2005), Talsi Regional Museum, Talsi
2006 “Cezanne 2006”, Fontaine Obscure, France
2006 “Conversations Photographiques”, Aix-en-Provence, France
2004 “The Topography of the Body”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga

2003 “Regards Croisés”, Aix-en-Provence, France

2002 “Look 3 Times”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
2002 “The Anthropology of the Body”, Dailes gallery, Shauliai, Lithuania
2001 “Citizens of Riga”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga

2001 “Woman: The Accent of the Image”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga

2000 “Media Awards 2000”, House of Congresses, Riga

Photobooks

2026 “DZEN” (self-published)

2024 “Interconnections” (self-published)

2021 “Duplicates” (self-published)

2016 “I Love My Library” (self-published)

Awards

2026 Winner, URBANAUTICA Institute Award,

2025 FUTURES Talent, nominated by ISSP Gallery

2024 Gomma Grant finalist, project "Dzen"

2021 Self Publish Riga dummy contest, book "Duplicates", shortlisted