- Theme
- EU4Algae
Published on 23 January 2026
Born in Riga in 1985, Valentinaki is a multimedia artist whose work explores the elemental force of water and its profound role in our lives. After studying pastels under Valeria Shuvalova in Latvia, she moved to Italy in 2009 to refine her oil painting skills under Florentine figurative artist Giusy Boncinelli, discovering her unique artistic voice. Her abstract creations often centre on the oyster shell as a symbol of imperfect perfection, merging poetic sensibility with conceptual depth to address environmental and ecological issues.
Over the past decade, Valentinaki has presented her work in exhibitions and site-specific installations worldwide, including historical Italian venues and international art fairs in Miami and Palm Beach. In 2022, she founded The Baltic Vibe, a cultural initiative dedicated to sharing the artistic heritage of the Baltic countries abroad through exhibitions, performances, and cultural exchanges.
In this interview, Valentinaki discusses her artistic journey, the founding and evolving role of The Baltic Vibe in promoting Baltic art and culture, and her engagement with water, algae, and environmental themes as a medium for reflection, dialogue, and sustainable innovation.
1. You are a Latvian-born, Italy-based multimedia artist whose work explores water as both a medium and a narrative. Could you tell us more about your artistic journey and how your Baltic roots and international experience have shaped your engagement with aquatic ecosystems — including your growing interest in the algae sector as part of broader environmental and sustainability conversations?
Growing up by the Baltic Sea made me sensitive to water as a living presence rather than just a subject. That early love for the sea turned water into a permanent theme of my art. Living in Italy allowed me to explore new techniques and perspectives, shaping how I translate water’s fragility and rhythms into my work. My practice connects these ideas to ecological concerns, including plastic and oil pollution, and more recently, to algae as a living symbol of environmental change.
2. Water plays a central role in your artistic research, symbolising memory, vulnerability, and interconnectedness. How does working with water-related themes — and increasingly with algae as an ecological indicator and creative material — help you engage audiences with environmental challenges such as pollution, climate change, and the protection of marine environments?
Art has always reflected what is happening in the world and has the unique power to reach wide audiences. By working with water and increasingly with algae, I aim to engage viewers with the fragility and interconnectedness of aquatic life, using visual and sensory experiences to spark curiosity, reflection, and a deeper awareness of our relationship with the natural world.
3. In 2025, The Baltic Vibe presented Algae Unveiled during Milan Design Week, and you also engaged with algae-focused discussions through events such as the EU4Algae Annual Meeting. What motivated you to bring algae into these high-profile cultural and sectoral events, and why do you see algae as such a powerful resource and symbol at the intersection of art, science, and sustainability?
I have been fascinated by algae for several years, both for its visual and conceptual possibilities and its ecological significance. Participating in cultural events like Milan Design Week helps fill a gap in public knowledge, while sectoral events like the EU4Algae Annual Meeting show professionals how art can communicate this theme. Algae itself is a powerful symbol, bridging art, science, and sustainability because it is living, dynamic, and vital to our ecosystems.
4. Algae Unveiled brought together perspectives from biotechnology, design, architecture, and art. From your curatorial perspective, how can algae help foster dialogue between creative industries and scientific or innovation-driven sectors working on sustainable solutions?
With Algae Unveiled, I wanted to show that algae can be much more than a scientific subject — it’s a living, visual, and conceptual material that inspires creativity. By presenting it through art and design, the exhibition creates a shared language where creative industries and innovation-driven sectors can explore sustainability together, fostering dialogue, curiosity, and new ways of thinking about our relationship with the natural world.
5. Algae are often discussed in technical or industrial contexts, yet your work presents them through artistic expression and cultural storytelling. How can art and design help make algae-based innovation more accessible, emotionally engaging, and relevant to wider audiences?
Art and design have the unique ability to enter the minds of viewers and remain in memory, making complex topics more approachable. Through visual and sensory experiences, themes like algae gain attention in a way that is immediate, immersive, and emotionally resonant, helping people connect with ecological and scientific ideas more deeply and intuitively.
6. Through The Baltic Vibe, you highlight the deep connection between Baltic culture and the natural environment. How do Baltic artistic traditions, materials, and narratives contribute to contemporary conversations around sustainability, marine protection, and algae-related innovation?
Baltic artistic traditions are deeply rooted in nature, with materials, techniques, and stories that reflect a respect for the environment. Baltic artists and artisans primarily use natural materials, encouraging a lifestyle close to nature and fostering a stronger connection with the natural world. Through The Baltic Vibe, I aim to share Baltic culture abroad, highlighting its focus on nature, sustainability, and ecological awareness.
7. From your experience as both an artist and curator, what role can cultural platforms, exhibitions, and creative communities play in supporting cross-sector collaboration — particularly between artists, innovators, researchers, and sustainability-focused initiatives such as EU4Algae?
Cultural platforms, exhibitions, and creative communities create spaces where ideas from different fields can come together and interact. They allow artists, researchers, and innovators to explore shared concerns in tangible, engaging ways. In initiatives like EU4Algae and projects such as Algae Unveiled, this cross-sector exchange shows how creativity and sustainability can inspire each other — a collaborative approach I see as vital for the future.
8. Looking ahead, how do you see the role of algae evolving within creative practices and sustainable innovation? Are there future projects, collaborations, or directions you are especially excited to explore at the intersection of art, ecology, and algae-based solutions?
During the EU4Algae Annual Meeting in December 2025, I met Latvian researcher Karina Salina, and together we visited Riga Technical University, where she showed me her work on using local algae and wetland biomass to develop sustainable composite materials. I am now working on the visual part of an art piece using this material, highlighting the unused algae along the Baltic Sea coast.
Building on this experience, I see algae becoming an increasingly versatile resource in creative practices and sustainable innovation, offering material possibilities and a space for dialogue between art, ecology, and science — a collaboration I’m especially excited to continue exploring.
Additional information
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Got questions? Contact us at: contact
eu4algae [dot] eu (contact[at]eu4algae[dot]eu).