Eli Ruhala

The(ir) Art of Loving

When I started this project, my goal was to capture and convey my passion for connection through my work, making sure that this emotional connection could be felt by anyone, even strangers experiencing my story. I believed that if my feelings were genuine enough, they would resonate with people who were essentially observers of my narrative.

I achieved this by creatively working with common 2X4 pine studs, breaking them apart, and manipulating construction codes. This allowed me to change the supporting structures that define space, playing with scale and using the lumber itself as a drawing medium. Additionally, I used wax paper as a canvas, a material that usually adds depth to wood. By making the images visible through transparent mediums, I crafted a complex space where drawing and framing interact.

The artwork situates the viewer between the two sides of a bathroom’s architectural structure, presenting elusive and abstract content. This creates a new space that doesn’t follow a predictable order. Drawing inspiration from traditional stud wall forms, I constructed cabinets and drawers as containers for memories to unfold. By bending building codes and standards, a sense of queerness emerges, disconnecting the viewer from the space’s intended function and prompting them to consider its history instead.

The bathroom, a space associated with the breakdown of intimacy, transforms into a place for the viewer to experience love in their presence. As they walk through, adjusting their body in response to the artwork, and filling in the gaps with their own perspectives, I invite them to actively participate in the shared act of reception.

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.