BIO
RÅ«ta 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.
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CV
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Education
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2007 BA degree in Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Latvia
2001-2002 World Press Photo Seminar “Young People at Risk” for the Baltic states - Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania
2000 Seminar “Photojournalism in the Electronic Age: Techniques and Issues”, by Paul Martin Lester, Maastricht, Netherlands
1997-1998 Professional photo school
1994-1995 Course of drawing and painting, Latvian Academy of Arts
1992-1999 Photography course by master Andrejs Grants, House of Technical Creativity, Riga, Latvia
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Work experience
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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, Riga, Latvia
1999-2007 Photographer, newspaper “Rigas Balss”, Latvia
1998-1999 Photographer, newspaper “Diena”, Latvia
Solo exhibitions
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2024 "Interconnections", ISSP gallery, Riga, Latvia
2020 "Close To Me" family exhibition together with mother Vija Dzintare - sculpture, sister Ieva Dzintare - textiles, daughter Darta Kalmuka - painting, Ogre History and Art Museum, Latvia
2006 “That’s how It Was...” Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
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Selected group exhibitions
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2018 Group exhibition “Implicit Memory” (project “Portrayals”) with Latvian photographers Anda Magone and Laila Halilova, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
2010 “The Existence Space of Human”, Daugavpils, Livani, Latvia
2009 “Fotoforma +21”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia
2007 “Aquaplaning”, international culture project, Riga, Latvia
2006 “Portrait” (Latvian photography 1980-2005), Talsi, Latvia
2006 “Cezanne 2006” Fontaine Obscure, France
2006 “Conversations Photographiques” Aix-en-Provence, France
2006 “Latio” Calendar exhibition, Reiterns house, Riga, Latvia
2004 “The topography of body”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia
2002 “Look 3 times” together with A.Krauze and A.Meirane, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
2003 “Regards Croises”, Aix-en-Provence, France
“The Anthropology of body”, Klaipeda, Kauna, Telshai, Lithuania
2002 “The Anthropology of body”, Dailes gallery, Shauliai, Lithuania
2001 “Citizens of Riga”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia
“A Woman – the Accent of Image”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga Latvia
2000 “Media Awards 2000”, House of Congresses, Riga, Latvia
1999 “The Portrait of a Generation”, Kuzneckii Most Gallery, Moscow, Russia
“1/25 seconds”, Dailes Theatre, Riga, Latvia
1994 “School”, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia
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Awards
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2025 FUTURES Talent, FUTURES Photography platform, nominated by ISSP Gallery
https://www.futures-photography.com/profile/ruta-kalmuka
2024 Gomma Grant finalist, project "Dzen"
https://thegommagrant.com/finalist/dzen
2021 Self Publish Riga dummy contest, book "Duplicates", shortlisted
2016 Fotofilmic, shortlisted
2011 Baltic Portrait Photography contest, 1st prize in the category “Children”
2006 Award of the Year in Latvian Photography, 2nd prize in documentary photography
2000 “The Hope of Photojournalism 2000” award, Riga, Latvia
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Works in the collections
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Latvian Museum of Photography
Private collections
Publications
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​Artteritory.com, interview
https://arterritory.com/lv/vizuala_maksla/intervijas/27128-gribetu_niknak
Fotokvartals.lv, interview​
https://fotokvartals.lv/2024/03/15/10-minutes-ar-rutu-kalmuku/
Fotokvartals.lv, review of the exhibition "Interconnections"
https://fotokvartals.lv/2024/04/08/saiknes-pret-saistibam/
Echo Gone Wrong, RÅ«ta Kalmuka's autobiographical photography series Interconnections on view at the ISSP Gallery
Fotofilmic JRNL issue2 Fall 2019
https://fotofilmic.com/jrnl-fall-2019/
Riga Photography Biennal 2018, Group exhibition 'Implicit Memory' at Latvian Museum of Photography
https://echogonewrong.com/group-exhibition-implicit-memory-latvian-museum-photography/
FK Latvian Photography Yearbook 2016
https://fotokvartals.lv/veikals/latvijas-fotografija-2016/
2008 World Press Photo, ninth edition of “Enter”, see 9th edition of “Enter” at www.enterworldpressphoto.org/editie9/gal_2.php?hilow=