FUTURES & Magnum Photos invite you to join us for our next online Artist Spotlight with Vika Eksta.
Eksta’s practice is rooted in the exploration of self-portraits as a method of researching specific themes and creating works that resonate with a wider community.
In this presentation, she will focus on her recent project The Encounter, an attempt to reconstruct the physical and emotional experience of childbirth through photographic self-portraits and video materials captured during the process. She will also address the challenges of exhibiting such intimate work and the ways it has been received by the public.
To provide context for this approach, Eksta will start her talk by reflecting on her earlier self-portrait projects, particularly Dievs Daba Darbs (God Nature Toil). The project examines rural depopulation, using an abandoned house and what it contains as props to tell the wider story. This project was published as a photobook in 2018.
About Vika Eksta:
Vika Eksta (1987) is an artist and educator based in Riga, Latvia.Her work primarily focuses on autobiographical narrative and existential subjects, as well as research of Eastern European life and reflections of historical trauma. Vika works with photography, analogue photo printing, video, performance for the camera and archival research.Her approach embodies the desire of 19th-century Romantic painters to capture what they observe by constructing an entirely new reality - one saturated with emotion, association, and imagery.Since 2014, she has participated in exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, including at the Latvian National Museum of Art, kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Tallin Art Hall, Vilnius National gallery, ALMA gallery, ISSP Gallery, Kaunas Photography Gallery etc. Her work is held in the collections of Latvian National Museum of Art, Latvian Museum of photography, SEB bank, VV foundation and private collections. Vika is the winner of the ADC Young Guns, FK Portfolio and Riga Photography Biennial awards for young Baltic photographers and is part of Futures photography network since 2022. Vika is represented by ALMA gallery.
About FUTURES x Magnum Artist Spotlight:
Every other month, we invite a photographer from the FUTURES platform to join us for an engaging online conversation about their artistic journey. Thanks to the online format, these talks are accessible to audiences around the world, offering a rare opportunity to hear directly from emerging artists about their work, motivations, and creative processes.
This series also aims to inspire the next generation of photographers by connecting them with practitioners who are still in the early stages of their careers—offering valuable insights and inspiration for others navigating similar paths.
Free – Registration required by following this link
© Vika Eksta
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