RUNA (aka Rute Norte) was born and lives in Lisbon, Portugal. She graduated from the University of Lisbon, and received her Master's degree in Painting, at Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Lisbon (2022). Her master's thesis focused on the theme of artist-travellers and is titled “The experience of place: its influence on the pictorial production of the artist-traveller, in the 21st century”. Additionally, she studied Photography at Cenjor, the Professional Training Center for Journalists, in Lisbon (182 hours of classes, 2018). RUNA was awarded a European Union Mobility Grant to undertake a one-month artistic residency in Armenia. She also completed artistic residencies in Bulgaria, Italy and China as part of her practice as an artist-traveller, funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, the Frenkiel & Ponti Foundation, and NongYuan Culture. RUNA has participated in more than thirty exhibitions, both individual and group, in Portugal, Spain, UK, Austria, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Armenia, Colombia, South Korea, Turkey, USA and Canada. Website: rutenorte.com. Instagram @runa_aka.rute.norte