Elsa Marie Keefe

Artist Statement:

Sub Specie Aeternitatis is a Latin phrase that means ‘from the perspective of the eternal.’ I believe that we must look at life from this vantage point, with this perspective, with eyes that see and bodies that feel the timeless, infinite nature of reality. After years of creating nudes in nature fine art photography, my work now takes on a new depth. With every photographic series, I choose an image or two that speaks to me in the moment, I print them on large rolled canvas, paste them to a wooden panel, add objects that I find in nature, finally coating these pieces in resin and paint. The intention behind the art is to capture and create an eternal visualization in time and space, embodying and honoring the enduring beauty of mother earth.
 
Bio:
Elsa is a visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work explores the nude human figure, body-mind connection, concepts of beauty, freedom, and our relationship to the natural world. Her images and exhibitions examine human nature, the boundaries of innocence versus sexuality, and human being’s relationship with mother earth. She communicates through experimentation with color, light, place, space, time, paint, words, collage, sound, people, video and performance. 

Creating art and being naked in nature is her therapy. She grew up on the north shore of Boston, spending holiday time with her family in places of extreme beauty around the world where oftentimes clothing was not obligatory.  

Elsa photographs humans in the natural elements, in spaces void of manmade objects to create a timeless visual landscape. Photography is the backbone of her work. However, she also creates large scale mixed media pieces with her images that are comprised of digital photographs printed on canvas, pasted on a wooden panel, covered with leaves, bones, flowers, crystals and other natural objects, and finally coated and cemented in resin.

Moving pictures are another component of her vision and work. She creates nude art films in collaboration with musicians, directors, producers, and other artists as well as self-portrait experimental videos. Performance art is the final piece of her craft where much of the time, she takes a stand in public or private spaces as a nudist to contribute to the conversation around body positivity, awareness, sovereignty and freedom.  

She utilizes the nude body as a form of (and vehicle for) communication, where the ongoing narrative is about self-acceptance, exposing truth and beauty through oneness. After years of personal highs and lows surrounding her own body, experiencing the harsh realities of both the mental and physical landscape in relation to the nude human figure in our current society/state of affairs, Elsa is now very passionate about the body-positive movement and promoting healthy stereotypes. She curates nude women’s healing circles, events and experiences around the world. She works with women, utilizing her background in holistic coaching, nutrition and astrology to aid groups and individual clients with healing their body, mind, and spirit. She holds space for others to embrace their own journey of healing.

The goal for this artist is to travel the world, capturing the human body in sacred spaces on the earth and in the waters, revealing truths of various geological and environmental conversations. Elsa’s current intention is to photograph nude humans alongside animals in nature, further exploring the relationship between all types of sentient beings.

EXHIBITIONS:

Sub Specie Aeternitatis / Solo Show at Mazlish Gallery / April 21 – 27, 2021 / @ The Invisible Dog Art Center, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY
WE ARE ANIMALS / Performance Art Piece / January 2021 / 219 W. 38th St. New York, NY  (Garment District Arts Window Front in collaboration with Antonio Oliveira & Dana McBroom Manno)
Underground Art Show / Solo Show / December 2020 / Brooklyn, NY  (mixed media collection)
BORN WILD / Solo Show / September 2020 / Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA (mixed media collection)
NUDES & WILD HORSES / Solo Show at Pony Boy / March 2020 / Greenpoint, Brooklyn / w/ live performances
Paddle 8 Auction / Art4Equality w/ The Untitled Art Space / Feb. 2020 / NYC /
Private Art Show; Miami Beach, FL — SHARKS & NUDES series –  Jan. 29, 2020
NUDE WOMEN’s HEALING CIRCLE; NY, NY — Astrology / Planetary Guidance –  Jan. 18, 2020 – present
St. Jude Fundraiser; FAO Schwarz, Times Square, NY, NY — Jan. 16, 2020
Performance Art; NY, NY — @casarebeldeofficial w/ @bouboulena –  Dec. 13, 2019 – present
Private Art Basel Show —> Featured Artist; Miami Beach, FL — December 7, 2019
The Untitled Art Space; NY, NY — November – December, 2019
The Other Art Fair; Brooklyn, NY — May 2-5, 2019 & November 7-10, 2019
Las Laguna Gallery; NY, NY — October, 2019
Group Show – piece: Eternal Transcendence
Nude Women’s Healing Circle – “We are the Moon” & “RITUAL”; NY, NY — 9/21 & 11/17, 2019
House of Yes & Soho House Performance Art @lareinethethrill; NY, NY — Spring & Summer 2019
Greenpoint Gallery; Brooklyn, NY — March & April 2019
People’s Choice Awards & Solo Show (Born Wild – April 19, 2019 Opening)
One Art Space; NY, NY — March, 2019
Conception Art Show; NY, NY — February, 2019
M1-5 lounge, Tribeca
One Art Space; NY, NY — December 2018
CPAC’s 2018 Annual Members’ Show; Denver, CO — June – July 2018
One Art Space; NY, NY — March & July 2018
SPECTRA Art Space; Denver Colorado – March & April 2018
RAW Artist Showcase; Denver, CO — November 2017
Lemon City Studios Show; Miami Beach, FL — December 2015
Collaboration with Artist Eddy Bogaert
Chashama Art Exhibition; NY, NY — September 2015 – October 2015
Roots – Elon University Student Juried Art Exhibition; Elon, NC — 2012