RSU Faculty of Social Sciences researcher Jana Kukaine receives prestigious International Economic Forum Women’s Award LIEPA

Photo: Courtesy of Jānis Brencis

The Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with AS Rietumu banka, is organising the 7th consecutive awarding of the International Economic Forum Women’s Award LIEPA. This prestigious award was established to recognise outstanding women who have made a significant contribution to building a socially responsible and sustainable society through their work and innovative solutions. This year, the esteemed honour has been awarded to Jana Kukaine, Lead Researcher and lecturer at the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Social Sciences.

The award ceremony took place on 8 March 2025 at the Latvian Academy of Sciences as part of the International Economic Forum. Kukaine received the award for her achievements in the Science, Technologies, Research, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, and Innovation Development category. The award acknowledges her significant role in the development of feminist theory and feminist art in Latvia and the Baltic States.

For more than 10 years, Kukaine has been the leading researcher of feminist theory and feminist art in Latvia. Through her theoretical work and social activism, she promotes society’s understanding of gender equality and women’s rights, utilising the platform of contemporary art.

Her academic work includes significant publications, such as the scientific monographs Lovely Mothers. Woman. Body. Subjectivity (2016) and Visceral Aesthetics: Affects and Feminist Art in Postsocialism (2024). Her doctoral dissertation Feminist Art in Postsocialism: The Perspective of Visceral Aesthetics, has made a notable contribution to the research and promotion of feminist art within Latvia’s academic community.

Kukaine is also active as an art critic and has successfully curated numerous feminist art exhibitions in Latvia and the Baltic States, thereby promoting the feminist perspective and creating significant platforms for female artists. The exhibitions organised by Kukaine have fostered broader public discussions on gender equality and contributed to the integration of feminist approaches into the contemporary art scene.

The LIEPA Award is a significant recognition of Jana Kukaine’s contributions to both academic research and public service.

She remains an inspiration to the younger generation, encouraging bold research, creativity, and social responsibility. We congratulate Jana Kukaine on her achievements and wish her continued success in her scientific, social, and cultural endeavours!