Elina places herself squarely within the important alliance of form and content. Her work is rigorous, poetic, visually beautiful and demanding all at the same time.
—J. John Priola
Reimagined Soviet-era Installation featured at The Jones Institute
The Jones Institute presents STATELESS a new exhibition of works by Elina Frumerman, opening on June 23, 2023. STATELESS constructs an imagined domestic space to explore how cultural narratives weave into daily life and how they are passed down through generations. The artist, Elina Frumerman, was born in the Soviet Union and fled as a refugee at age 6.
Elina consistently pushes boundaries and the exhibition features photographs that range from passport photos to constructed dioramas and wallpaper which echoes design motifs found in spaces from communal housing to Russian Orthodox cathedrals.“STATELESS explores narratives of nostalgia, domestic life and the artists’ identity to connect to her experience as a soviet refugee,” added Rimma Boshernitsan, an advisor to Fortune 500 companies on strategy and transforming culture.
Elina will attend the MFA program at Stanford University in September.
UTOPIA
2022
4" x 6"
Blind embossed matte with a Soviet commemorative stamp
The stamp commemorating Lenin’s 96th Birthday is framed with a blind embossed print that is based on the visual language of the Russian orthodox church. The framed print is hung on hand-painted wallpaper inspired by the walls of the Soviet household Elina grew up in.
STATELESS, a new exhibition from Elina Frumerman
June 23 and runs through August 8th.
By Appointment
CURRENCY
2021
2.4" × 3.9"
Internal dye diffusion print
This image of crystal glassware, alcohol and amber
were used as currency in the “grey market” by my family
members to survive in the Soviet Union. The miniature
image is captured with a large format view camera.