Clear Perplexities from the series “ Aqueous” © Elina Ruka — *Clear Perplexities* from the series “ Aqueous” © Elina Ruka

Artist’s first Philadelphia solo show examines water’s power to both attract and push away.

On October 5th, Latvian artist Elina Ruka’s solo show “Immersion” opens at Philadelphia’s Gravy Studio and Gallery, marking her first solo show in the city. The recipient of an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, Ruka uses numerous media, including photography, installation, video, and sound, to create tranquil and curious works of art. Addressing themes ranging from her impressions of the United States, her memories of Latvian life, and the never-ending mystery and mutability of water, Ruka’s art is both highly emotive beneath the smooth surface, creating an irresistible tension between what we show off and what we choose to keep hidden. Deborah Krieger speaks with the artist in advance of her opening.

Deborah Krieger in conversation with Elina Ruka

Vision, 2018 © Rachel Stern — *Vision, 2018* © Rachel Stern

Rachel Stern's latest photographic series, More Weight uses Arthur Miller's classic play as a metaphor for the chaos of present-day media, culture, and politics.

"More weight," Giles Corey's famous last words spoken while stones were being piled upon him at the end of Arthur Miller's The Crucible is a historical symbol of resistance to the tyranny of the Salem witch trials. Philadelphia-based photographer Rachel Stern uses these words as the title for her latest exhibition – on view at Brandeis University through October 26th – a metaphor for our current uncertain, often logic-free times. Her photographs are unapologetically staged and intentionally contrived, casting our current political and cultural climate as a theater of the absurd. I spoke with Stern to learn more about how this brightly colored pastiche of confusion relates to her ongoing practice and reflections on the world in which we live.

Rachel Stern in conversation with Jon Feinstein

Elina Ruka Photographs the Mystery and Mutability of Water

Theater of the Absurd: Staged Photographs Reflect Witchcraft, Trumpism, and The Crucible