Elizabeth Ernst: Smoke & Mirrors November 5 — December 31, 2010
In 2005, Elizabeth Ernst introduced Chicagoans to The G.E Circus - a cast of circus characters she sculpted with polymer clay, photographed, printed on black & white linen paper, and then finished with acrylic paint. Once complete, she wrote their biographies which were hung alongside each piece, giving voice to her imagined entertainers. The show combined her love for storytelling, sculpture, painting and photography, addressing various social issues associated with the circus.
Five years later, Ernst presents Smoke & Mirrors, a continuation of her deep commitment to the people who work in the circus. In her newest works, Ernst photographs figures she created from clay and scrap metal, and combines them with images she took at traveling circuses, going behind the tents and inside the trailers to reveal the lives behind the faces who entertain the public.
Whether real or imagined, Elizabeth Ernst creates a world which relies on disbelief and suspended reality. Behind the make-up and costumes are real people whose lives often belie the people they portray. It is this duality – the public persona vs the private persona – that Smoke & Mirrors examines, reminding us that people usually reveal what they want us to know, and often the truth lies elsewhere.
Elizabeth Ernst is a tenured Associate Professor in the photography department at Columbia College Chicago.
Images vary in size. Pieces range in price from $2800 to $6500.
Please call: (312) 266-2350 for prices of specific pieces. Prices are print only unless otherwise indicated.
Elizabeth Ernst After the Card Game, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,After the Card Game, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
19 x 13" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Clown Alley, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Clown Alley, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
13¾ x 16¼" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Concession Stand, 2008
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Concession Stand, 2008
From the The G.E Circus series
14¾ x 39¼” gelatin silver print on linen with acrylic paint and mixed media
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Dickie the Bird Boy, 2008
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Dickie the Bird Boy, 2008
From the The G.E Circus series
15¾ x 11¾” gelatin silver print on linen with acrylic paint and mixed media
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Dickie the Bird Boy, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Dickie the Bird Boy, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
4¼ x 3" polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Frank, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Frank, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
7 x 3½” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Knuckles, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Knuckles, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
7½ x 4” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Knuckles & Lillian, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Knuckles & Lillian, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
19 x 13" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Lillian, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Lillian, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
6¾ x 3¼” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Lillian's Dressing Room, 2009
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Lillian's Dressing Room, 2009
From the The G.E Circus series
13¾ x 17¾" gelatin silver print on linen with acrylic paint and mixed media
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Loretta, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Loretta, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
7 x 3¼” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Lost and Found, 2008
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Lost and Found, 2008
From the The G.E Circus series
13¾ x 12¾” pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Madame X, The Fortune Teller, 2009
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Madame X, The Fortune Teller, 2009
From the The G.E Circus series
34½ x 23 x 5” gelatin silver print on linen with acrylic paint and mixed media
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Photomatic, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Photomatic, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
26¾ x 33¾ x 6½" pigment print with mixed media
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Rose, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Rose, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
11¾ x 15¾" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Rose, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Rose, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
5½ x 4” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Sideshow Performer, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Sideshow Performer, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
15¾ x 11¾" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Stella, 2010
Elizabeth Ernst,Stella, 2010
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
7 x 4” metal parts
Elizabeth Ernst Stella By Starlight, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,Stella By Starlight, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
20 x 16" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint
Unique
sold
Elizabeth Ernst Study for Concession Stand, 2003-2008
Elizabeth Ernst,Study for Concession Stand, 2003-2008
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
14½ x 13 x 7¾” polymer clay with acrylic paint, wood and found objects
Elizabeth Ernst Study for Madame X, 2003-2004
Elizabeth Ernst,Study for Madame X, 2003-2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
4¼ x 2¼” polymer clay with acrylic paint
Elizabeth Ernst Study for The Second Show, Elmer, OK, 2010
Elizabeth Ernst,Study for The Second Show, Elmer, OK, 2010
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
9 x 4½” metal parts and doll head
Elizabeth Ernst The G.E Circus Installation, 2004
Elizabeth Ernst,The G.E Circus Installation, 2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
Elizabeth Ernst The G.E Circus Installation (detail), 2004
Elizabeth Ernst,The G.E Circus Installation (detail), 2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
Elizabeth Ernst The G.E Circus Installation (detail), 2004
Elizabeth Ernst,The G.E Circus Installation (detail), 2004
From the The G.E Circus Figures series
Elizabeth Ernst The Outside Talker, 2009
Elizabeth Ernst,The Outside Talker, 2009
From the The G.E Circus series
15¾ x 11¾” gelatin silver print on linen with acrylic paint and mixed media
Unique
Elizabeth Ernst The Second Show, Elmer, OK, 2010
sold
Elizabeth Ernst,The Second Show, Elmer, OK, 2010
From the The G.E Circus series
13¾ x 17¾" pigment print on canvas with acrylic paint