Eli Ruhala

Soft Proclivities 

Moudy Gallery

April 11 -13, 2025

Soft Proclivities explores the porous boundaries between body, memory, and material. Through a blend of queer figurative painting and sculptural installation, the exhibition reimagines contact as a language—where gestures, surfaces, and structures record the intimacy of remembered touch. Building materials like drywall and joint compound meet tender mark-making, creating spaces that feel both constructed and felt, fragile and resilient.

Elijah Ruhala is an artist based in North Texas utilizing building materials to affect the way in which we view the connotations behind them. He explores queerness in what are traditionally very conservative environments, influenced by his upbringing in rural Texas. He has received numerous scholarships and honors allowing him to pursue a BFA in painting at The Maryland Institute College of Art and received his MFA at Texas Christian University on a full-ride. In 2021 he was selected for the Turner House’s Rising Star award. He is also the recipient of grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Dallas Museum of Art, and other organizations which he uses to fund thought-provoking site-specific installations. For his interventions, he collaborates with non-profit community art centers such as The Center for Contemporary Art in Abilene, Art League Houston, and Arts Fort Worth to engage with different communities. He has been featured in New American Paintings, Southwest Contemporary, and other publications. Recently Ruhala was selected by Matthew Higgs to participate in “Open University” at the Dallas Contemporary where he was also named the inaugural recipient of the McReynolds prize.