ELISHEVA BIERNOFF
Elisheva Biernoff’s paintings of photographs involve close looking and slow painting: lingering over pictures of strangers and paying attention to the overlooked and undervalued. The paintings are simulated artifacts, remade to scale as truly as possible. To create this work, the artist finds photographs of domestic scenes and anonymous people who wouldn’t necessarily be the subject of paintings. The source photographs touch on shared experiences but also have some slightly remarkable or unusual aspect. By painting the photographs, Biernoff brings the latent emotional content to the surface.
Biernoff (b. 1980, Albuquerque) received an MFA from California College of the Arts and a BA from Yale University. She also studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. The artist was recently in residence at the MacDowell Colony, and her work has been exhibited at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Asian Art Museum, and CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco; di Rosa in Napa, California; and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Biernoff’s work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, and Albright-Knox Gallery, among others.
Explore and Follow Artists Shaping Contemporary Art
A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.
Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.
Learn more about Ocula Magazine
Showcasing the best of the art world.
Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.
Learn more about Ocula Membership
Specialises in the sale of major artworks.
Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.
Learn more about our team and services