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Rukaiah "Ruki" El
Rukaiah "Ruki" El
Born in Newark, New Jersey, El was frequently moved across the east coast in her adolescence before settling in Jersey City in 2007. She raised by her single-mother, who had passions for art that were never encouraged to be pursued.
Early introductions to painting and printmaking gravitated El towards fine arts. Though initially interested in fashion design, she graduated high school in 2017 and attended one semester at Drexel University as a Fashion Design major.
El took two years off from college to gain working experience and save money to reapply to universities. Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, she reapplied and was accepted into the Fashion Institute of Technology. She pursued her AAS in Fine Arts and is currently working towards her BFA, double minoring in Art History and African American & Africana Studies.
She describes her work as "personal and self-reflective", often combining themes regarding her intersectional identities as a Black, queer woman. Her paintings and sculptures shifted over the years from contemporary realism to narrative-driven passion pieces. She toys with the duality between beauty and discomfort, her way of expressing frustration from feeling the need to strive harder in the art world as a minority.
As a Fine Arts major, El has been involved in extracurriculars since her first year at the institution, including Director of Digital Media/PR for The Black Student Union at FIT, and Student Government Association's Senator for Fine Arts.
El has been featured in galleries throughout New Jersey and New York. In 2021 she was a featured artist at KinetiK Gems in Staten Island. Multiple paintings and sculptures were on display to the public and were available for sale for the spring season.
She was a curator for Love and Resilience, an open-call Juneteenth exhibition in 2021. Artists from across New York City were invited to create works in FIT's breezeway to be displayed in honor of Juneteenth. The works of 10 artists, including El, was on display at the Pomerantz Art & Design Gallery throughout the entirety of the summer.
Her work as a curator continues into 2023, where she lent a hand in conceptualizing and creating OUT OF BODY OR OUT OF PLACE?: A Black History Month Exhibition. This show featured the works of over 20 Black artists, once again including El, and was on display at Gallery FIT at the Museum at FIT from February 1 to February 12.
El was a 2023 recipient of FIT's Breakthrough/Evolution Award, a Student Leadership award awarded to a student who has demonstrated significant growth in their development, leadership and/or participation in a student led campus group. She was also the recipient of one of five Peter Vogel Silver Leadership Keys, awarded to non-graduating students who have exhibited leadership qualities within the FIT Community.
El continues to finish the final year of her BFA program, serving as a campus Orientation Leader, Dean's List recipient, Presidential Scholar, and Student Government Vice President.
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