Ieva Kraule-Kūna

Ieva Kraule-Kūna (1987) is an internationally active artist, nominated for the Purvītis Prize several times (2021, 2025), winner of the Kim? Residency Award (2017) and regularly participates in both local and international exhibitions (Paris, New York, Milan, etc.). The artist is also one of the creators of the Latvian art scene – she is the co-founder and program co-curator of the 427 gallery (2014–2016), and has also directed the LOW gallery for several years.

The artist’s practice is characterized by the creation of sculptural objects, combining ceramics, stone, metal and other materials with literary narratives and mythological references. The installation “Gorgoneion's Gaze” features elements characteristic of Ieva Kraule-Kūna's works – experiments with material and its interplay with narrative, the use of historical symbols in a contemporary context, as well as poetic expression.

The work “Obsessive Ideas” from the series “Devils in My Palms” conceptually resonates with her interest in symbolism, folklore structures, and the transformation of personal experience into visual form. The work takes the viewer into a space of ritual and primal instincts, where a devil-like figure is revealed as a fragmented reflection of a self-portrait. This illustrates Kraule-Kūna's ability to combine craftsmanship with conceptual depth, creating multi-layered and emotionally intense sculptural compositions that simultaneously reveal personal fears, collective fantasies, and cultural archetypes.

Gorgoneion's Gaze. 2017.

Obsessive Ideas. 2025.