They Were Here
2009 - Installation (Installation)
Elisheva Biernoff
In her recent work, Biernoff is interested in investigating fictions and fantasies embedded in the remnants of consumer culture (for example magazines) or through ephemera such as postcards and old photographs. Although the imagery present in her work might seem nostalgic upon first encounter, Biernoff’s complex tableaux often reveal the artist’s skeptical look towards her subjects matters. They Were Here (2010), constitutes a clear example. The 16 ft long tableau confronts the viewer with a seemingly paradisiacal scene: a tropical deserted island with white sands and blooming trees appears to be a coveted destination. However the scene quickly turns into a dystopian image, once one pays attention to the small details camouflaged inside it: an erupting volcano or a dead bird. Biernoff places a pair of binoculars in front of the painting to reinforce this idea. Looking through their fake mdf lenses, the painted landscape is rendered blurry. The whole scene acts up as the backdrop of a theater act and the prop quality of its elements suggests a certain lightness associated with utopian dreams.
Elisheva Biernoff’s work engages and reconsiders the tradition of painting in an interesting way, often taking source material from media or recreating photographs through a careful trompe d’oeil technique. Thus, her work engages in the discussion of re-representation through painting, not aiming to portray any given reality faithfully but rather as the ideal way to engage with a subject matter that explores the intersection between myths, fictions and fantasies. In some cases, her works also address particular ecological concerns.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
© » KADIST
Michael Rakowitz
2017The Ballad of Special Ops Cody by Michael Rakowitz is a serio-comic stop motion animated film in which an everyday African-American G...
© » KADIST
Edgar Arceneaux
2006Untitled (Wheelchair Drawing) is a ten-foot photo transfer of the image of a wheelchair with burning embers in its seat...
© » ARTFORUM
Details for First-Ever Malta Biennale Announced – Artforum Read Next: ARGENTINIAN PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI SHUTTERS MINISTRY OF CULTURE Subscribe Search Icon Search Icon Search for: Search Icon Search for: Follow Us facebook twitter instagram youtube Alerts & Newsletters Email address to subscribe to newsletter...
© » WHITEHOT
Ticket to Paradise: An Interview Whitney Oldenburg at Chart Gallery advertise donate post your art opening recent articles cities contact about article index podcast main December 2023 "The Best Art In The World" "The Best Art In The World" December 2023 Ticket to Paradise: An Interview Whitney Oldenburg at Chart Gallery By CLARE GEMIMA December 13, 2023 The intellectual landscape of sculptures and drawings in Whitney Oldenburg's latest exhibition, Ticket to Paradise (notably the work in the show entitled Feeding Frenzy), scrutinizes the intricate dynamics between protection and waste in the context of contemporary consumption...
© » HYPERALLERGIC
Video of Israeli Soldiers Handling Gaza Antiquities Raises Outrage Skip to content A photo of the École Biblique et Archéologique Française de Jerusalem's excavations warehouse in Gaza (image courtesy Jean-Baptiste Humbert) The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) drew criticism online on Sunday, January 21, after its Director-General Eli Eskozido posted an Instagram story depicting Israeli soldiers onsite at a storeroom in Gaza filled with apparent antiquities, as well as a photo of a small display of cultural objects in the Knesset (Israeli parliament)...
© » KADIST
Phan Thao Nguyên
2013On September 22, 1940 the French signed an accord, which granted Japanese troops the right to occupy Indochina...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Imperial Creatures: Singapore beyond 'great men' history | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Courtesy of NUS Press August 11, 2020 Singapore’s bicentennial year in 2019 sparked great discussion and debate about the legacies of imperialism and colonialism, which continues till today, in step with larger conversations happening globally around decolonisation, indigeneity and civil rights...
© » LARRY'S LIST
Collect Like an Expert: How to Find Great Emerging Artists | Art & Object Skip to main content Subscribe to our free e-letter! Webform Your Email Address Your Role Art Collector/Enthusiast Artist Art World Professional Academic Country USA Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Ascension Island Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Islands Cape Verde Caribbean Netherlands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Ceuta & Melilla Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo - Brazzaville Congo - Kinshasa Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d’Ivoire Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard & McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong SAR China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao SAR China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Outlying Oceania Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Réunion Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka St...