Until 20 April, Inta Ruka’s exhibition “People I’ve Met” is open at Kaunas Gallery (Vilniaus g. 2).
Inta Ruka is one of Latvia’s most renowned photographers, known for her sensitive and authentic documentary photography. Her work reveals a deep empathy, the ability to listen and capture people’s lives in a way that makes the viewer feel their stories. The exhibition presents two of her major projects from 1984-2008: “My Country People” and “Amalia Street 5a”.
“When I started photography, I was very shy, so I chose to go to the countryside. There I met people who shared their stories, their dreams, their jokes and their everyday worries. Through portrait photography, I learned to see, understand and love people”, says Inta Ruka.
Her work reflects the everyday life and realities of both rural and urban people. “People I’ve Met” marks a turning point in street photography, as she began to expand her work into the city, to connect with people from all walks of life, and to spontaneously capture their faces and stories.
The second series, “Amalia Street 5a”, documents the life of a Riga apartment block, a building that stands out for its architecture and has become a refuge for a small community in a modernising city. People of different nationalities and generations lived here, whose portraits reflect the fragility, transience and human intimacy of everyday life.
Inta Ruka’s work is filled with sincerity and respect for the people she photographs. Her work is inspired by masters of documentary photography such as August Sander, Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. As art curator Ute Eskildsen says, “Inta gives people the opportunity to be themselves – her photographs reveal the natural pride of the villagers, the weight of personal experience and the reality of life without artificial drama.”
This exhibition invites you to meet the people that Inta Ruka has met – to discover through her lens the authenticity, warmth and beauty of the human story.
The exhibition is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Kaunas City Municipality. Kaunas Photography Gallery is sponsored by AON.