Who is Elena Rabkina?

Elena Rabkina is Belarusian artist focused on photography and interactive art.

Elena researches and documents the immaterial story of people, things and places, pays attention to the small real-life details and explores the current meaning of the mass culture. Her artworks have social commentary and reflect on agism, social inclusion, urbanism, ecology, mental health, migration, activism.

Left Belarus in 2020 due to the political repressions, lived and worked in Odessa, Ukraine till the beginning of the war, and now is in Europe with no particular residence. Apart from being an artist, Elena is a social activist, co-organizer of urban and art festival Vulica Brasil and mentor for social and art projects.

CV AND BIO

Exhibitions

2022 - «Falling», installation. Exhibited in the public space in Franfurt (Oder), Germany.
2022 - «Still Standing», photography. Exhibited at Vasenthien Art Gallery, Germany.
2022 - «Invisible People»,interactive photography. Exhibited at Transponder, Vienna, Austria
2022 - «14 Confessions to the City», public and interactive art, Exhibited at Superbude, Vienna, Austria.
2021-2022 - “Her deed”, documentary photography, interview as the result of the art residence MediaLab Fem. 2021 – Exhibited at the main square of Lviv, Lviv Municipal Art Center, 2022 - Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture, Ukraine.
2021 - «I am Okay», board game as the result of art residence Artivism and Solidarity (Social Illustration and Public Art).
2019 - “Youth”, photography. Exhibited at Background, Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - “Critics”, interactive performance\play. Shown at the Center of Belarusian Dramaturgy, Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - "Black stories». Exhibited at Photozone, Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - "I see you, I miss you», Exhibited at Week of Sweden (2nd prize), Minsk, Belarus.
2016 - “Moreless”, photography, sound, installation. Exhibited at National Center for Contemporary Arts (Belarus), at SÜDBAHNHOF fotografische Werke (Germany), 2017 - Mark Rothko Art Center (Latvia).
2016 - «Motion to Emotion», documentary photography. Exhibited at Photozone, Minsk, Belarus.
2013 - «The Cube», interactive photo project. «Photo Intercultural Marathon», Beysehir Konya, Turkey.

Residencies

2023 - Platform Art Association's Artist-in-Residency Programme, Finland.
2022-2023 - Future Laboratory Art Residence, Portugal, Spain, Poland.
2022 - Transsectoral Summer School Viadrinicum: University in Ruins. Scaffolding Futures, Germany.
2022 - Art Camp Vasenthien, Germany
2022 - Question Me & Answer Art Residence, Vienna, Austria.
2021 - Media Lab Fem Art Residence, Ukraine.
2021 - Artivism & Solidarity Art Residence, Mixed format.

Grants

2022 - IJP Marion Gräfin Dönhoff Stipendium
2022 - Rada of Culture Grant.
2021 - Belarus Free Center Fellowship Grant.
2020 - Nantes Forum of Creative Generations Grant.
2015 - CrossCulture Internship Scholarship.

Awards

2017 - RADA Awards Nomination for Best Art Project with the project Blind City. Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - 2nd prize at Photo Competition by the Embassy of Sweden.

Selected Workshops and Talks

2021 - Speaker and Mentor at the Contemporary Art Festival "CONNECT" in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
2020 - Speaker at the Art Laboratory in Belastok, Poland.
2020 - Speaker at European Architecture Student Assembly in Grushevka, Belarus.
2019 - 2020 – Speaker and mentor at the Collabex Art Accelerator. Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - 2020 - Organizer of the Urban and Art Festival «Vulica Brasil». Minsk, Belarus.
2016 - Speaker at TEDx.

Photography for Unsplash - 12+ mln views

2021 - Speaker and Mentor at the Contemporary Art Festival "CONNECT" in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
2017 - 2020 - Co-organizer of the Urban and Art Festival «Vulica Brasil». Minsk, Belarus.
2020 - Speaker at the Art Laboratory in Belastok, Poland.
2020 - Speaker at European Architecture Student Assembly in Grushevka, Belarus.
2019 - 2020 – Speaker and mentor at the Collabex Art Accelerator. Minsk, Belarus
2019 - Participation in the Nantes Forum of Creative Generations. Nantes, France (was awarded with the grant).
2019 - Run game "Animals" at Burning Man, Black Rock City, USA.
2017 - Nominated for RADA Awards in the category Best Art Project with the project Blind City. Minsk, Belarus.
2017 - Awarded 2nd prize at Photo Competition by the Embassy of Sweden.
2016 - Speaker on TEDx, Belarus.
2015 - Worked at ikonoTV, mute TV that was developing the direct language of art through slow videos. Berlin, Germany.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have an unstoppable desire to explore, look deeper and connect to the everyday life in different corners of the world. With my photography I try to grasp moments that are ethereal, can be only read between the lines and rather felt than seen.

As an artist, I mostly gravitate towards the topic of urban-people relationships. Every place, be it a room, building or the whole city has the energy of its own, its tempo, habits, good and bad, its rules and experiences. The charisma of the environment is built by people, but also it affects people back, as a never-ending circle.

I believe that an attentive eye and open heart can you far in experiencing the precious elements of everyday life. And I use photography to bring these stories to a wider audience.

PORTFOLIO

PHOTOGRAPHY:

INTERACTIVE ART:

Falling

Falling, 2022,
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany

"Falling" is a 5-meter interactive installation that was exhibited in the public space Frankfurt (Oder), Germany.

The work covers the topic of the war in Ukraine and visualises the data on the amount of rockets that have fell on the Ukraine, according to the latest statement by Vladimir Zelenskij. 300 knifes represent less than 10% of the bombs, but after each of them stands destruction and pain. For our brain it’s hard to see the difference between 2500 and 3000, though the difference is immense. This piece is created for the European audience that is not affected by the war, but is eager to learn and reflect on the scale of the tragedy. Visitors are invited to interact with the piece by stepping on the platform and raising the bombs. Yet, when one steps away – the knifes come back in their position.

Idea and concept by Elena Rabkina.

Construction: Elena Rabkina, Sofia Brem, Ilda Kurti, Orest Dovhan, Yuliia Trymorush, Robert Schwaß, Nathan Rubene dos Santos, Nicoleta Jantoan, Oleksandr Klymenko.

Mentorship: Tobias Schmitt, Mauricio Sosa Noreña.

Still Standing

Still Standing, 2022,
Vasenthien, Germany

The work "Still Standing" is dedicated to the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainian people. Apart of being the typical plant in Ukraine, no matter the conditions – sunflowers will always tend to keep their heads high and reach the sky. It is also typical in Ukrainian villages to use bandaging in sunflower seeds harvest, so that the seeds don't fall out.

Performance "Still Standing" develops the topic of the war in Ukraine and incorporates artist's personal experience of being the Red Cross Odessa volunteer. Elena became a volunteer in 2020 in need of legalisation in Ukraine after running from the regime of Lukashenko in Belarus. The main condition for the volunteer was to finish the Entry Volunteer Course on the First Aid.

14 confessons

14 Confessions to the city, 2022, Vienna, Austria

Public art project "14 Confessions to the city" is done in the form of an open diary. Coming as a new person to Vienna I have the luxury of being completely honest to the city, as it's always easier to talk to strangers. So I've placed around the city 14 confessions, as well as located the empty boards for others to confess.

Being a Belarusian artist that lived in Ukraine before the war, I speculate about going through this experience, politics, charisma of Vienna and some accumulated insights.

After the public exhibition on the streets Vienna's 2nd District, the boards are to be collected and exhibited at Superbude on the 7th floor as the recurring exhibition. Guests of the hotel will have an opportunity to send their confessions and once a month I'll reveal one new saying.

This project explores the relationship between vulnerability and publicity, as well as allows viewers to get a glimpse of my refugee experience though self-reflection.