Elizabeth Bernstein

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Artist Statement

All of my work comes from the most basic elements of daily life. Within this search, I am interested in the points of friction between the ideal and real and the gray area that exists between desire and satisfaction. Curiosity leads me to look at the body, the gesture, stillness, or the facial expression of my subjects. I am fascinated by our attempts, and how vulnerable and fragile these efforts appear when scrutinized by the camera.

Although these photographs are culled from unstaged observations of my friends and family, the content of the image is a composite of the subject’s psychology and my own. The making of these pictures is as much about my ability to reframe a scene in order to reflect my specific point of view, as it is about capturing the reality of my subject’s experience. I photograph one-on-one or group interactions that facilitate multi-layered communication, such as a family at the beach, a group of friends, a couple on a lawn, or a lunch between new acquaintances.

I watch and wait for my family, friends, or strangers to exist in a way that compels me to ask questions about the nature of love, friendship, power, sexuality, the body or vulnerability. The photographs ask questions and posit answers about the nature of our relationships: How much do we reveal? How much of our communication is conscious? Or, how much are we consciously trying to hide? Ultimately, the images exist in this loop of question and answer about intimacy, awkwardness, intention, and secrets.

Bio

Elizabeth Bernstein lives and works in San Francisco. She received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been shown on both coasts, and she currently works in the education department at an arts and technology museum. She is a photographer whose work examines body language, and how it communicates our complex emotional and psychological landscape. She grew up in New York City and attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate.