Devil’s Lake

Devil’s Lake (also known as or Čertoks) – a round and deep lake with intensely green water – is located in the middle of a forest in the Aglona district in Eastern Latvia. Although various myths and secrets surround the lake, there are no records of it in the Archives of Latvian Folklore. Possible, very few ethnographic expeditions have traveled to this region, but perhaps interest in The Devil’s lake has grown only recently. I do not seek to discover the truth, but rather to capture the nature of Velnezers and its peculiar magnetizing force. The lake is familiar to me since my childhood, when I was living nearby. Images are created between 2015 and 2018 and I am still continuing my research.

Vika Eksta (1987) is a visual artist and tutor who is interested in portraiture and self-portraiture, performance, video and archive research. She has participated in exhibitions in Latvia and internationally since 2014. Studied photography at the Andrejs Grants’s studio and EFTI in Madrid. She holds a BA in film theory and a MA in Visual Communication. In 2015 she received FK Prize, but in 2016 the ADC Young Guns Award.