E2 Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien

Posted by: Octavia Art Gallery

Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present new work by artists E2: Elizabeth Kleinveld & Epaul Julien. Their exhibition, "The Art of Empathy" is held in conjunction with the 8th Edition of PhotoNOLA, an annual celebration of photography in New Orleans.

Under the artist name E2, photographers Elizabeth Kleinveld & Epaul Julien have embarked on a new body of work in response to the conditions that were exposed during Hurricane Katrina. Kleinveld & Julien, both from New Orleans, aim to bring about a discussion on the consequences of stereotypes. In order to bring about this dialogue, E2 decided to take iconic images from paintings, photography, film and even literature and remake them with a twist. Beginning with the Flemish Primitives and spanning almost 600 years of art history, this series is done in conjunction with the Dutch National Theatre, which generously provides many of the costumes, wigs and props for the historical images. Highlights of the series include works based on Titian’s Venus of Urbino (1538), Velázquez’s Venus at her Mirror (1647-51), Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665), David’s Death of Marat (1793), Hayez’s the Kiss (1859), and Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe (1863).

E2 photographers Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien began their collaboration in 2010, while working together on the Before During After project (Louisiana Photographer’s Respond to Hurricane Katrina). This body of work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Houston Center of Photography, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Netherlands and the New Orleans African American Museum. The work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Museum Castelvecchio, Verona.