In her multi-media art and installations, Elyse Defoor explores a variety of contemporary themes.
In one popular series, the Atlanta artist uses women’s swimsuits as a symbol for our culture’s obsession with outward appearances.
In another, Defoor photographs knives and bullet shells to reflect our fascination with objects that can both protect and destroy.
No matter what theme she explores, Defoor’s Art is infused with mystery and meaning.
Artist: Born in Greenville, SC, Defoor moved with her family to Atlanta when she was three months old. She received a BFA in painting and graphic design from the University of Georgia.
After graduation, she worked as an environmental graphic designer during the day. At night, Defoor took senior level painting classes at the Atlanta College of Art (ACA).
Company/studio: Elyse Defoor Art, has been based in Chamblee, GA, since 2017. The artist works out of her industrial space (EBD4) that includes her private studio and gallery, plus a small event center.
In the beginning: At ACA, her professor Tom Francis introduced the idea of using objects as inspiration to express her inner being. For the rest of the semester, she painted enlargements of the snaps of garter belts.
Defoor started collecting objects and saved articles of clothing, like her bathing suit, to use in her art.
Art & materials: Photography, drawings, paintings, assemblages, sculpture and large-scale installations, using unconventional and non-art materials including: black belts, bullet shells and wedding dresses.
Photo/prints ($250 and up), drawings ($600 and up) and paintings ($425 and up).
In the “Pit” installation, Defoor used 1,400 black belts to create a large mound 11 feet in diameter.
In another series, she made 65 photo portraits of wedding dresses, installed 13 outside for over two months, and designed and created a limited edition of the book “Relics of Marriage.”
Process: Defoor’s artistic approach usually begins with envisioning a large-scale exhibition in her response to an object, or situation that inspires her.
In most of her series, the Atlanta-based artist creates assemblages and sculptures. Then photographs them and expands the series with drawings and paintings.
Must-have tools: Antique electric staple gun, roll of paper, knee pads, Sony 35 mm digital camera and tripod, push pins, Magic Black Erasers, elbow brace, hardbound sketch book and reading glasses.
Inspirations:
- Her father, who taught her to be how to “see,” pointing out small details and broad views of the world around us.
- Artists, including: Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Joseph Peragine, Shanequa Gay, Gerhard Richter, Jim Dine, Julie Mehretu, Sally Mann and Robert Mapplethorpe
Fun or special commission: Creating “Jubilee II” with white seashells for one of her private collectors.
Recent awards/honors:
- Solo, survey exhibition, “Slivers of Time,” with 34 of her works of art, including her first oil painting at age ten, was hosted by the Art Institute of Atlanta. 2022.
- A group exhibition, “A Room of Her Own,” at The ArtsXchange in Atlanta. 2024.
- Included in various private and public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, the New York Public Library and the Acoustic, a software development company with offices in the Atlanta area.
Recent projects:
- Developing new iterations of the “Second Skins” series, which uses the shape of a woman’s bathing suit to represent the female figure. A bathing suit is a second skin that both reveals and conceals parts of a woman’s body.
“ For over 35 years, I have revisited a series that began in the 1990s after I was struck by seeing my sexy bathing suit empty and shriveled up on the floor,” said Defoor.
- Expanding the “Beautiful Danger” photo series, which uses knives and spent bullet shells to represent the complexity of attraction and repulsion, beauty and threat.
For example, a crystal punch bowl, typically a symbol of celebration and elegance, becomes a vessel for spent bullet shells, symbolizing lives lost to violence.
What’s next: A two-person exhibit, “Stripped Down,” with Atlanta sculptural artist Eileen Braun at The Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody, GA. Feb. 27 to April 11.
Where to buy: elysedefoor.com
Connect:
- Instagram: @elysedefoor
- Facebook: elysedefoor
