As the photographic duo E2, New Orleans natives Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien seek to remake images from art history to reflect their own experience of the contemporary world. Tackling icons from the great masters like Botticelli, Manet, Rembrandt, and Van Eyck, they recast instantly familiar images in a distinctly modern manner, breaking them free from centuries of historical context and placing them firmly in the present.
Kleinveld and Julien were introduced when each showed photographs in the traveling exhibition, “Before (During) After: Louisiana Photographers Respond to Hurricane Katrina,” for the storm’s five-year anniversary in 2010. They quickly realized a shared interest in matters of social justice and racial and socioeconomic inequality, which this natural and man-made disaster had brought into focus. Soon after, they began working together on In Empathy We Trust, an evolving photographic project seeking to examine contemporary social issues through the lens of art history.
The journey from the original germination of an idea to a completed E2 photograph is long and complex, often taking six months to a year. Both pre-production and the shoots themselves take place on two continents, as Julien lives in New Orleans while Kleinveld resides in Amsterdam. As such, the planning and execution of their shoots involve months of collaboration, with countless emails and phone calls exchanged. Kleinveld and Julien begin their process with online research and by visiting museums throughout the United States and Europe, searching for compelling images that resonate with our contemporary experience. They then seek to change the context of these images, replacing the original figures with contemporary stand-ins from all races and backgrounds, to more accurately reflect the diversity of the world around them.
Once an image is selected to be “remade with a twist,” they begin to find sitters (preferring artists, actors, and friends rather than models) representing a wide range of marginalized groups — African-American, Asian-American, LGBT — who have not seen themselves equally represented in media and art. After sitters have been selected, E2 begins the work of sourcing costumes. Their European shoots have involved costumes from the Dutch National Theatre in Amsterdam, Dutch costume maker Bert Nuhaan and Studio Pietro Longhi in Venice, while their hometown shoots in New Orleans are a bit less glamorous, seeing them employ sources varying from thrift stores to friends’ closets.
The photographs themselves are the product of careful planning and production rather than chance — more Gregory Crewdson than Diane Arbus. Each shoot is a carefully orchestrated production, featuring up to a dozen sitters, as well as lighting, costume, staging and more. Kleinveld and Julien’s work as E2 sees them each taking on a myriad of roles, from auteur to producer to subject. The finished product is a result of intense collaboration and teamwork, with both Julien and Kleinveld taking turns behind the camera. After the shoots are completed, the work of post-production begins, where extensive digital collaging of subjects and background is often required. They often employ artists such as Italian painter Marco Ventura to hand-paint the backgrounds of their images, further blurring the lines between both photography and painting, and present and past.
In a world that is becoming increasingly stratified along religious, cultural, economic, and ethnic lines, E2’s photographs apply a new interpretation of icons from the past, making them more inclusive for the multicultural world we live in. E2 does not seek to make demands, but to pose questions: why shouldn’t Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring be Asian? Why can’t the iconic image Washington Crossing the Delaware be adapted to show the first President as an African-American woman? For it is in these answers that we find the lingering doubts and biases that we often do not dare to acknowledge.
Find original E2 photography and prints on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Jonathan Ferrara Gallery)
Ode to Wyeth's Christina's World
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 2 of 3, 2APs Large Size: 24 x 36 inches STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the h...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Gauguin's Les Parau Parau (Conversation)
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 1 of 3, 2APs STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the history of art to challenge...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Gauguin's Les Parau Parau (Conversation)
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 1 of 3, 2APs STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the history of art to challenge...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Gauguin's Les Parau Parau (Conversation)
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 1 of 5, 2APs STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the history of art to challenge...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Wyeth's Christina's World
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
16 x 24 inches - Edition 1 of 5 with 2 APs STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the histor...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Wyeth's Christina's World
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
10.75 x 16 inches - Edition 1 of 7 with 2 APs STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the his...
Archival Pigment
Maybe Yes, Maybe No
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Art of Seduction, 2023. Cyanotype Unique Variant Print Limited Edition of 7 Cyanotype gives a contemporary edge to this flirty dialogue made from vintage magazines, and brings conversation to the counterculture of the "swinging sixties". + Cyanotype hand-printed on Arches BFK Rives French watercolor paper + Deckled Edges on all four sides + Signed and editioned on front in pencil + Letter of Authenticity + Printed in Los Angeles, CA WHAT IS A CYANOTYPE? cyan = blue type = print Cyanotype is a historic photographic processes, invented in 1842 and used by Anna Atkins–the first female photographer. The process involves coating watercolor paper with light-sensitive chemistry made of iron salts. Photographic negatives are laid on top, exposed in the sunlight, and then washed in water to develop into the deep Prussian-blue unique to cyanotypes. Brings a moment of beauty and conversation to any space. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Alexandra DeFurio...
Film, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Magazine Paper, Color, Photogram
$1,800
H 16.75 in W 16.75 in
"EXAMINATION" Assemblage of found photos and polaroid lift on panel
By Shawn Theodore
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"EXAMINATION" is an original piece by Shawn Theodore made from found/family photos, polaroid lift, acrylic on wood panel. Theodore delves into the specific experiences of African American families, capturing a longing for lost photographs, missing heirlooms, and vanished archives. Using a blend of traditional portraiture, found photographs, paint, paper, pencils, and digital manipulation, Theodore creates archetypes representing hypothetical family members, spiritual guardians, and ancestors. These boldly crafted archetypes inhabit an imagined macro-family album, offering a unique perspective on portraiture, connection, and community. Theodore's work aims to deepen spiritual connections and encourage personal introspection. This pieces measures 16.75"h x 16.75"w framed and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate of Authenticity. Shawn Theodore (b. 1970) was born in Germany to American parents from Philadelphia, and currently lives and works in Philadelphia. Theodore was awarded the prestigious PDN’s 30 New & Emerging Photographers to Watch (2019), the Getty Images / ARRAY ‘Where We Stand’ grant, and a grant from the Knight Foundation for ‘A Dream Deferred’. Theodore was a two-time nominee for the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Fellowship and a nominee for the Magnum Foundation Fund. He is an Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of the Arts, a trustee of The Print Center, a trustee of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, and a former trustee of the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. Theodore was announced as a two-time nominee of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Fellowship and a nominee of the Magnum Foundation Fund in 2018. In the following years 2019 and 2020, he was awarded the PDN's 30 New & Emerging Photographers to Watch and AI-AP American Photography 35. He has had several solo exhibitions and is included in several group exhibitions. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; the collection of the Philadelphia Library, Drexel University's Center for Black Culture, the Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Walker Center, Minneapolis; the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington D.C.; the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; and the Legacy Museum, Montgomery, among others. Artist photo...
Paper, Found Objects, Wood Panel, Polaroid
$1,091
H 40 in W 50 in D 0.1 in
'Harvest Dance' Movement dance figures gold yellow orange fire nature wild
By Sophia Milligan
Located in Penzance, GB
'Harvest Dance' Limited edition archival photograph. Unframed, hand signed and numbered _________________ Late August, captured in the glow of the evening sun, my daughters join han...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
$1,800
H 16.75 in W 16.75 in
"Doris and Henry (and her brothers)" Polaroid lift from the collective archive
By Shawn Theodore
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Doris and Henry (and her brothers)" is an original piece by Shawn Theodore made from found/family photos, polaroid lift, acrylic on wood panel. This pieces measures 16.75"h x 16.75"...
Paper, Found Objects, Wood Panel, Polaroid
Waiting for the Breeze
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but e...
Archival Pigment
Scored Wood
By Andrew Schwartz
Located in New York, NY
TORN series. Archival pigment piece with plexiglass mount. About the Artist: Andrew Schwartz is an internationally published, award winning photographer. Based in NYC, he is an alumni of The Rhode Island School of Design, and a veteran member of both The International Cinematographers Guild/ICG and The Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers/SMPSP. His work is on permanent collection at The Margret Herrick Gallery at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and he has served as Unit Still Photographer on more than 75 films including School of Rock, Men In Black, Fatal Attraction, When Harry Met Sally...
Archival Pigment
$5,000
H 50 in W 70 in D 0.1 in
Untitled IV and III, Diptych. From The Balance Series
By Salvatore Arnone
Located in Miami Beach, FL
With Balance the artist starts exploring more deeply the boundaries of the photographic media by mixing it with different techniques on a very traditional subject (classic sculptures...
Paper, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Pigment
Between the Lilacs
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but e...
Archival Pigment
She Stands Proud
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage* Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but ...
Archival Pigment, Archival Tape, Color Pencil
Hidden
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but e...
Archival Pigment
Waiting for the Light
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but e...
Archival Pigment
Pink Hydrangeas
By Sarah Hadley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unique Photographic Collage Printed on Canson Platine Fiber Rag Framed in black wood with archival mat The artist reserves the right to remake the collage 5 times at this size, but e...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Wyeth's Christina's World
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 1 of 3, 2APs Large Size: 24 x 36 inches STATEMENT: e2, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from the h...
Archival Pigment