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Awol Erizku — Elsa
Awol Erizku

Elsa

2013

Elsa, made in 2013, presents a solitary flower arrangement set against a field of saturated, unmodulated color, a compositional strategy that immediately signals Erizku's deliberate dialogue with Western art historical conventions. The work draws from the visual language of Dutch Golden Age still life painting while relocating that tradition within a contemporary Black aesthetic framework, stripping away ornament and historical distance to foreground questions of beauty, representation, and cultural ownership. Printed as a digital chromatic print measuring 101.6 by 127 centimeters, the image carries a physical presence that rewards close attention, with color depth and tonal precision that speak to Erizku's background in photography at Yale School of Art. Part of an edition of three and hand-signed by the artist, Elsa belongs to a body of work that established Erizku as one of the more rigorous conceptual voices in contemporary photography during the early part of the last decade. His still life series gained significant critical attention for reframing canonical Western motifs through a lens attentive to race and symbolic power, positioning objects and arrangements as carriers of contested meaning rather than passive decorative subjects. The restraint of the image belies its intellectual ambition, and collectors will find in it a work that holds its own alongside both historical reference points and the broader conversation around image-making and cultural memory. Currently on offer through The FLAG Art Foundation, this is a rare opportunity to acquire an early and pivotal example from a series that has come to define a meaningful chapter in Erizku's practice and in the wider reconsideration of still life as a politically charged form.

Medium
Digital Chromatic print
Overall
Signed
Yes
Location
The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY

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About this work

Awol Erizku, Elsa, 2013

Elsa, made in 2013, presents a solitary flower arrangement set against a field of saturated, unmodulated color, a compositional strategy that immediately signals Erizku's deliberate dialogue with Western art historical conventions. The work draws from the visual language of Dutch Golden Age still life painting while relocating that tradition within a contemporary Black aesthetic framework, stripping away ornament and historical distance to foreground questions of beauty, representation, and cultural ownership. Printed as a digital chromatic print measuring 101.6 by 127 centimeters, the image carries a physical presence that rewards close attention, with color depth and tonal precision that speak to Erizku's background in photography at Yale School of Art. Part of an edition of three and hand-signed by the artist, Elsa belongs to a body of work that established Erizku as one of the more rigorous conceptual voices in contemporary photography during the early part of the last decade. His still life series gained significant critical attention for reframing canonical Western motifs through a lens attentive to race and symbolic power, positioning objects and arrangements as carriers of contested meaning rather than passive decorative subjects. The restraint of the image belies its intellectual ambition, and collectors will find in it a work that holds its own alongside both historical reference points and the broader conversation around image-making and cultural memory. Currently on offer through The FLAG Art Foundation, this is a rare opportunity to acquire an early and pivotal example from a series that has come to define a meaningful chapter in Erizku's practice and in the wider reconsideration of still life as a politically charged form.

Medium
Digital Chromatic print
Dimensions
overall: 101.6 x 127 cm
Year
2013
Edition
of 3
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY

Related themes

Mohn Art Collective

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