Elizaveta Rukavishnikova

Elizaveta Rukavishnikova (b. 1988 - Moscow, RUS) was educated at a Teachers’ College in Moscow (2005-2009), studied the Arabic language at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Moscow (2005-2010), and enrolled at Moscow State Academic Arts College (2010). She currently lives and works in Johannesburg, SA.

Rukavishnikova has a varied history of work experience in Russia, working as a photographer, designer and later, a window display artist for the department store, GUM, in Moscow (2010-2013). Ever since settling in Johannesburg, South Africa (2014), she has participated in numerous group shows including the FNB Joburg Art Fair with Kalashnikovv Gallery (2017). Rukavishnikova has also had a selection of solo shows, such as ‘Code Request’ and ‘Kupavna’ at Kalashnikovv Gallery, Johannesburg (2018 and 2019, respectively). The artist also participated in the main Russian contemporary art exhibition ‘Actual Russia’ in the All Russia Decorative Art museum (2019). Rukavishnikova’s work is in public and private art collections across the globe in countries like South Africa, Russia, Latvia, Austria, USA, Germany, Holland and Italy.

Rukavishnikova’s artworks are concerned with humanism and the human experiences of trial and triumph that she has witnessed in her dual-homes of Russia and South Africa. Ultimately, Rukavishnikova’s artworks are a material response to her perceived reality mediated between the audience and the artist herself.