Agate Tūna

b. 1996 Latvia

Based in Riga (Latvia)

‘In my work, I explore the intersection of spirituality and technology from a woman’s perspective, focusing on how historical narratives, personal stories and the role of technology shape our understanding of the unseen. I follow a web like research process, where one idea branches into another, creating a network of themes related to photography. It starts with my family’s connection to spiritualism and expands into research on hauntology and quartz crystals, uncovering how esoteric practices and technological progress have shaped each other. I seek answers from the ghosts captured in spirit photographs to modern techno spectres, and the human desire to communicate beyond visible reality.

Through the lens of analogue and experimental photography, playfulness is essential to my practice, as it allows me to approach my work with curiosity and experimentation. I’m motivated by the process itself, whether it’s self-portraits or staged scenes, I create photographic images from the ground up, building sets, making objects and working directly with materials. This process sparks new ideas and frequently leads to unexpected directions, even before the final concept fully emerges.’

agatetuna.com
instagram.com/agatetuna

Images:

1-Agate Tūna, The Order of Invisible Things, 2022, from the series The Pond House © Agate Tūna

2-Agate Tūna, The Ghost Who Never Left the Room, 2024, from the series The Pond House © Agate Tūna

3-Agate Tūna, A House for Passing Things, 2021, from the series The Pond House © Agate Tūna

4-Agate Tūna, The Pond House, 2021, from the series The Pond House © Agate Tūna

5-Agate Tūna, A Moth Flies into a Yawning Mouth, 2021, from the series The Pond House © Agate Tūna

Bringing together 66 artists from across the world, Photo Elysée celebrates emerging talent with the touring exhibition Gen Z: Shaping a New Gaze, currently on display at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany, until 30 August 2026. As media partner, 1000 Words is featuring the work and accompanying texts of all participating artists in our weekly column dedicated to new voices in contemporary photography.