Krista Dzudzilo (b. 1989) is a Latvian visual artist known for her diverse and innovative use of media, which ranges in scale from intricate drawings to video, found objects, installations, and grand stage designs for theatre and opera. She holds a BA in painting from the Art Academy of Latvia’s Faculty of Visual Arts, and an MA from the Art Academy of Latvia’s Faculty of Audio-Visual Media Art. This dual background supports her interdisciplinary practice.
Dzudzilo’s work often explores the interplay between scenography and active viewer engagement, transforming spaces and costumes into standalone works of art with profound symbolic significance. She hides multi-layered content behind a simple, minimalist language. Her multidisciplinary practice is characterised by a conceptual approach and poetic visual language, which have earned her national and international acclaim.
In her frequent collaborations with artist Reinis Dzudzilo, she uses scenography in visual art projects to create a dramaturgy of space. In theatre and opera, her designs for spaces and costumes carry symbolic meaning. She has created costumes for over 20 productions at various Latvian theatres and opera houses, and has received multiple nominations for the Latvian Theatre Award, Spēlmaņu nakts, in the ‘Costume Designer of the Year’ category, winning the award in 2016. A central enquiry of her work is ‘how to transform looking into seeing’.
Her charcoal drawings, such as the series everything you say is true and let your words be mine, are described as ‘halfway between sculpture and painting’, created through a ‘slow process’ involving dense layering of charcoal to produce material depth. These drawings often serve as ‘imprints of time and the past’, reflecting her interest in photography and memory.
Dzudzilo has held numerous solo exhibitions and participated in various group shows both in Latvia and internationally since 2007. Recent solo presentations include ILLUMINATIONS XI (Alma Gallery, Riga, 2025), all the possibilities that existed (Kogo Gallery, Tartu, Estonia, 2024) and I remember everything and then I forget everything (Alma Gallery, Riga, 2023). Earlier solo shows include Ceaseless (Riga, 2013) and Empty Space (Riga, 2012).
Her work has been recognised with several accolades, including the Best Concept Award at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (2019), the Latvian National Theatre Award and the National Design Award of Latvia (2019). She has also been nominated, in 2015 and 2021, for the Purvītis Prize, one of Latvia’s top contemporary art awards. Her work is featured in public and private collections, including the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art, the VV Foundation and the Luc Freché collection.
