My work has two clear focuses – the first being the human narrative and the second an interest in two-dimensional representations of space, in particular those that predate or break away from the central perspective developed in the renaissance. My method of creating meaningful content in my paintings is one where the narrative is informed by every aspect of the work. It is created not only through the recognizable imagery, but also through the way in which that imagery is painted, through stylistic breaks, or the color and material quality of the paint. And included within the narrative are my own decisions as the painter. The painter as fallible, struggling human, capable of wild ambition, bitter disappointment, unbridled self-indulgence or a longing for beauty – in the very same way that the represented figures are – is a construction that informs and guides my work, allowing me to make my own role as the artist a theme and emphasizing the work itself as a human product.
Ellen Akimoto
b 1988 Westlake Village, California. Lives and works in Leipzig .ARTIST STATEMENT
Vita
- Education
- 2006 - 2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts - Studio Art - California State University - Chico - USA
- 2010 - 2011 Exchange programme - Kunsthochschule Mainz - Mainz - DE
- 2013 - 2014 Guest Student - Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst - Leipzig - DE
- 2014 - 2016 Meisterschüler - Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst - Leipzig - DE
- Solo Exhibitions
- 2017 Protagonists - Galerie Rothamel - Frankfurt am Main - DE
- 2013 Place Space - Overdose Gallery - Chico - USA
- 2011 On, On, Pliant Signifier - 1078 Gallery - Chico - USA
- 2010 Double Monologue - 3rd Floor Gallery - BMU - Chico - USA
- Group Exhibition (Selected)
- 2018
- Congratulations! - Kunstverein Speyer - Speyer - DE
- Leipziger Jahresausstellung: Silber - Werkschauhalle - Halle 14 - Leipzig - DE
- Scope - Galerie Rothamel - Erfurt - DE
- Nach dem Bild ist vor dem Bild: 75 Malerinnen aus Leipzig - Kunstverein Freunde Aktueller Kunst - Zwickau - DE
- 2017
- Supervision - Langestraße 31 - Frankfurt am Main - DE
- Ausstellung zum Wettbewerb um die Hans-Purrmann-Preise 2017 - Städtische Galerie Speyer - Speyer - DE
- 50 Contemporary Artists by Enter Art Foundation - Multipolster - Berlin - DE
- 2016
- Schön / Hide - Galerie Elten & Elten - Zurich - CH
- Meisterschülerausstellung - HGB Leipzig Gallery - Leipzig - DE
- Schön / Hide - Galerie Leuenroth - Frankfurt am Main - DE
- Klassentreffen - Kunsthalle der Sparkasse Leipzig - Leipzig - DE
- 2015
- PR!NT - La Cambre Galerie - Brussels - BE
- Wunschlos Glücklic - Kunstverein Duisburg - Duisburg - DE
- Freistil - Kunstverein Speyer - Speyer - DE
- Screen - Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg - Wolfsburg - DE
- 2014
- Stories 3 - 1078 Gallery - Chico - USA
- 2013
- Crocker-Kingsley Prizewinners - The Crocker Art Museum - Sacramento - USA
- An Alibi of Validity. Laxon Fine Arts Gallery - California State University - Chico - USA
- 2012
- Stories 1 - 1078 Gallery - Chico - USA
- The Crocker-Kingsley Competition - Blue Line Gallery - Roseville - USA
- 31st Invitational 1078 Gallery Members Show - 1078 Gallery - Chico - USA
- Fluid Narratives - The Orland Art Center - Orland - USA
- 2011
- From the Rooster to the Donkey - Atelier Zukunft - Mainz - DE
- 2010
- 28th Annual Invitational 1078 Gallery Members Show - 1078 Gallery - USA
- 2009
- Fifty-fifth Annual Juried Student Exhibition - University Gallery - California State University - Chico - USA
- 6th Ink/ Clay- CSU Chico Ceramic Work - Turner Print Museum - California State University - Chico - USA
- 20th Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art - Davis - USA
- 10 10 20 - B-So Space Gallery - California State University - Chico - USA
- 2008
- 5th Ink/ Clay- CSU Chico Ceramic Work - Turner Print Museum - California State University - Chico - USA
- 19th Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art - Davis - USA
- Awards & Grants
- 2019
- Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant - USA
- 2018
- Prize of Recognition from the jury of the 25th Leipziger Jahresausstellung - Leipzig - DE
- Arbeitsstipendium - Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen - DE
- 2015
- DAAD Study Scholarship for Foreign Graduates
- 2012
- Merit Award - The Crocker-Kingsley Competition - Blue Line Gallery - USA
- 2011
- Preis des Präsidenten - Johannes Gutenberg Universität - Mainz - DE
- 2009
- Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Endowment for the Arts Scholarship - USA
- Mary Ahlquist Memorial Scholarship - USA
- 2008
- John Hagen Memorial Scholarship - USA
- Mary Ahlquist Memorial Scholarship - USA
To: Ellen Akimoto
Works by Ellen Akimoto
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