View from an exhibition Sicker by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Kadriorg Art Museum, Tallinn, 2023. Photo by Bruno Habran.
review

ARTIST IN FOCUS: Elīna Vītola. An artist reflecting on the complexities of human existence.

Elīna Vītola (b. 1986) is a Latvian artist based in Riga. Her art spans a range of forms, from paintings to installations of various scales, all set in diverse environments. Vītola’s journey as an artist began with classical training in painting, which grounded her in traditional artistic techniques. However, she has since expanded her practice to include experimentation with a variety of textures, formats, and mediums, moving beyond the canvas. Her work embraces a more conceptual and tactile approach, blending traditional and unconventional elements.

View from an installation Common Issues in Painting and Everyday Life by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery’s stand in Liste Art Fair Basel 2024. Photo by Choreo
View from an installation Common Issues in Painting and Everyday Life by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery’s stand in Liste Art Fair Basel 2024. Photo by Choreo

This evolution is exemplified in her solo installation Common Issues in Painting and Everyday Life, presented at Liste Art Fair Basel 2024. The installation combines large-scale interactive paintings, tracksuits, a rowing boat, and a sugar-glazed letter, creating a multilayered experience for viewers. It invites them into a space where the boundaries of painting and everyday life blur, encouraging visitors to engage physically and performatively. By intertwining traces from her previous creative endeavours, the installation reflects on existential questions about art and its relationship to the viewer. Through its playful yet thought-provoking nature, Vītola encourages the audience to uncover layers of meaning while questioning the very act of entering and experiencing an artwork.

Elīna Vītola, Tough Cookie, 2024. Sugar cookie, sugar glaze, wooden showcase frame, 42 × 52 × 4.5 cm. View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma.
Elīna Vītola, Tough Cookie, 2024. Sugar cookie, sugar glaze, wooden showcase frame, 42 × 52 × 4.5 cm. View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma.
View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma
View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma
Elīna Vītola, Document Fresco. Pounce., 2024; Document Fresco. Measure., 2024. Frescos on impregnated drywall, wooden frame, 51.5 × 41.5 × 4 cm. View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma
Elīna Vītola, Document Fresco. Pounce., 2024; Document Fresco. Measure., 2024. Frescos on impregnated drywall, wooden frame, 51.5 × 41.5 × 4 cm. View from a solo exhibition To Pay an Arm and a Leg by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery, 2024. Photo by Marje Eelma.

Her use of more experimental formats reveals Vītola’s broader artistic ambition to challenge the norms of the art world while also engaging with the audience in dynamic and immersive ways. This approach extends to SICKER, a collaboration with Flo Kasearu, showcased in the University of Tartu Museum. The installation features bronze casts of ticks, originally found on a family dog, placed on sculptures in the museum collection. Ticks, as relentless parasites, serve as a metaphor for human behaviour – highlighting the way we deplete the Earth’s resources without giving anything in return. This symbolism takes on even greater significance in light of the growing prevalence of ticks, driven by the effects of global warming. The artists suggest that our deep-seated aversion to them may arise from an uncomfortable truth – they mirror aspects of our own nature.

The installation itself functions as a parasite, “feeding” on art history by embedding itself into the relationship between visitors and artworks. By doing so, it revitalises attention to the sculptures, adding a new narrative to their context. Comprised of 100 miniature bronze monuments, the work invites viewers to reconsider both the sculptures and their own roles within ecological and cultural systems.

View from an exhibition Sicker by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Kadriorg Art Museum, Tallinn, 2023. Photo by Bruno Habran.
View from an exhibition Sicker by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Kadriorg Art Museum, Tallinn, 2023. Photo by Bruno Habran.

Vītola’s work reflects a deep engagement with themes of personal identity and the complexities of the art world. To Pay an Arm and a Leg, an exhibition at the Kogo Gallery in Tartu, exemplifies this exploration by addressing questions about her heritage and the broader human experience, drawing on her research into the life of her great-uncle, an artist and craftsman who disappeared during the World War II. His story, marked by the turmoil of war, is fragmented and elusive, with little definitive evidence of his fate.

Through this work, Vītola transforms her findings into a layered visual narrative that reflects on the tension between what can and cannot be represented. The installation seeks to both reveal and obscure possible meanings, transforming the gallery space into a site of exploration. By combining this deeply personal history with conceptual and abstract artistic language, Vītola creates a powerful reflection on memory, history, and the enduring cost of human existence.

Installation view of The Cut by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Eduards Smiļģis Theater Museum, Riga during an art festival Survival Kit, 2021. Photo by Margarita Ogoļceva
Installation view of The Cut by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Eduards Smiļģis Theater Museum, Riga during an art festival Survival Kit, 2021. Photo by Margarita Ogoļceva
Installation view of The Cut by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Eduards Smiļģis Theater Museum, Riga during an art festival Survival Kit, 2021. Photo by Margarita Ogoļceva
Installation view of The Cut by Elīna Vītola and Flo Kasearu at Eduards Smiļģis Theater Museum, Riga during an art festival Survival Kit, 2021. Photo by Margarita Ogoļceva

In other works, such as Artist Crisis Center, Vītola delves into the art world itself, using the project to critique its dynamics and pressures. Artist Crisis Center is a collaborative installation by Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna, presented at the LOW gallery in Riga. The installation reimagines the typical starkness of a “white cube” gallery, transforming it into a warm, beige-toned sanctuary with soft lighting and comfortable seating. Visitors are guided by playful “health workers” who provide symbolic care for those facing creative struggles or setbacks, emphasising a space of recovery and reassurance. By featuring artworks that have been overlooked, rejected, or otherwise marginalised, the installation questions conventional definitions of artistic success and failure. It examines the challenges and the emotional toll of the art world by incorporating humour and inviting the viewer to experience the piece firsthand. Through her art, Vītola offers both a criticism of the art world’s expectations and a refuge for struggling artists and their “failed” works, fostering a unique space where critique intersects with self-care and communal solidarity.

Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center II: Tact Gear by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at P/////AKT, Amsterdam, 2020. Photo by Charlott Markus
Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center II: Tact Gear by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at P/////AKT, Amsterdam, 2020. Photo by Charlott Markus

Throughout her career, Vītola has exhibited her work in prominent institutions, including the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Contemporary Art Centre in Riga, Tallinn Art Hall, Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn, and the University of Tartu Art Museum. She has also shown internationally at P/////AKT in Amsterdam, further establishing her position on the global art scene. Furthermore, in recognition of her talent and contribution to contemporary art, Vītola has received several prestigious accolades. Notably, in 2021, she was shortlisted for the Purvītis Prize for her innovative work showcasing a strong connection to Latvian cultural and social contexts, placing Vītola among the most outstanding contemporary Latvian artists. While in 2018, she received the Nordic & Baltic Young Artist Award and the Baltic Young Artist Award. Her works are held in the collections of both the Latvian National Museum of Art and the European Patent Office Collection, ensuring that her contributions to the art world are recognised and valued for years to come.

Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at Gallery LOW, Riga, 2019. Photo by Līga Spunde
Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at Gallery LOW, Riga, 2019. Photo by Līga Spunde
View from an exhibition Let’s Find A Way: Off-Season by Elīna Vītola and Eva Mustonen at Kanal Gallery, Võru, Estonia, 2022. Photo by Mari-Leen Kiipli
View from an exhibition Let’s Find A Way: Off-Season by Elīna Vītola and Eva Mustonen at Kanal Gallery, Võru, Estonia, 2022. Photo by Mari-Leen Kiipli
View from an installation Common Issues in Painting and Everyday Life by Elīna Vītola at Kogo Gallery’s stand in Liste Art Fair Basel 2024. Photo by Choreo.

Elīna Vītola’s work stands out for its ability to blend tradition with innovation, offering a unique exploration of personal identity, history, and the dynamics of the art world. Whether addressing existential questions, critiquing societal norms, or creating spaces for reflection, Vītola invites viewers to engage deeply with her works, often challenging their perceptions of art and its relationship to everyday life. Through thoughtful installations and experimental formats, she fosters dialogue around identity, history, and creativity. Her contributions, recognised through prestigious exhibitions and awards, ensure that her impact on contemporary art will resonate far beyond the present, securing her place among the most compelling artists of her generation.

View from a group exhibition Triquetra at Kogo Gallery, Tartu, 2023. Photo by Roman-Sten Tõnissoo.
View from a group exhibition Triquetra at Kogo Gallery, Tartu, 2023. Photo by Roman-Sten Tõnissoo.
Elīna Vītola, Body Painting. Edition of 3, 2023. Blown glass, modified perfume, 10 x 10 x 13 cm. View from a group exhibition Triquetra at Kogo Gallery, Tartu, 2023. Photo by Roman-Sten Tõnissoo
Elīna Vītola, Body Painting. Edition of 3, 2023. Blown glass, modified perfume, 10 x 10 x 13 cm. View from a group exhibition Triquetra at Kogo Gallery, Tartu, 2023. Photo by Roman-Sten Tõnissoo
Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center II: Tact Gear by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at P/////AKT, Amsterdam, 2020. Photo by Charlott Markus
Exhibition view from Artist Crisis Center II: Tact Gear by Elīna Vītola and Ieva Kraule-Kūna at P/////AKT, Amsterdam, 2020. Photo by Charlott Markus

“Artist in Focus” is a new column that shines a light on individual artists by showcasing their portfolios and artworks, exploring their inspirations and personal journeys. As our team travels to various art fairs, festivals, art weeks, and biennales, we uncover emerging talents and share their stories, giving our readers an authentic glimpse into the artists who are shaping the contemporary art world today.

About The Author

Patrycja
Poznańska

Musician, producer and art enthusiast, passionate about any and all forms of experimental art. Student of Culture and Media management at Jagiellonian University in Kraków and alum of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York.

This might interest you