The Search Photograph - Limited Edition of 18

I believe that feeling is crucial to creating a work of art. Thus I am driven by visceral and emotional responses to the process of seeing. My work is a kind of metaphor for complexities of the interior world and a conversation between the many selves we inhabit. I see nature as the first and most fundamental source of essence and myth and I am inspired by both its beauty and nourishment, as well as its unpredictability and fierceness, while birds are universal symbols of hope, freedom, and transition. The emotional ramifications of my own displacement and diaspora relate to how I feel towards nature; I am always in flux and on a journey to find a place of belonging. My interest in the aesthetic relationship between photography and other disciplines influences my whimsical approach. I intend to push the limits of the medium to suggest painterly abstractions. I employ tilt-shift lenses and make in-camera double exposures. These techniques allow room for spontaneity and help reveal the unseen often leading me to new discoveries. The resulting images have a subtly abstract quality, which serves as a visceral interpretation of the ephemeral nature of human experience and the environment. I find gratification in the extemporaneous quality of these creative processes and view my practice as a deepening of the seeing eye and an exercise of instinct and connectivity. BIOGRAPHY Raised in communist Ukraine and influenced by mysticism and nostalgia of Soviet cinematography and literature, Elena developed a passion for photography as a young child. In 1990 she immigrated to rural U.S. with her family, seeking political asylum, and at 18 she arrived in New York City alone, impressionable, and adrift. Fascinated by the culture, energy, and ingenuity of the city, she first tried to make ends meet by working as a model and assisting photographers. In 1995 Elena found herself swept away by the vibrant avant-garde art scene of the Lower East Side and creating art became her passion and purpose. She started using large format and toy film cameras and eventually studied photography at MSFA but her unorthodox approach to the medium and adverse childhood experiences with oppressive authority in Ukraine impelled Elena to continue pursuing her art through independent studies and experimentation. Elena’s work is included in private and corporate collections.