With TIMELINE, the artist examines her singular personal journey and the surprising lessons that have come along the way. In her own words:

“I’m endlessly curious about human stories, especially those related to survival, inner growth, and connectivity. In this show I turned that curiosity into a tool for self-exploration.This series of works represent a timeline of events that have shaped my life from childhood to adulthood.”

“Having spent half of my life in a peculiar country like Cuba, and then experiencing a totally different dynamic in the USA, has allowed me to savor the taste of 2 cultures that are very different. My quest has been towards identifying what connects us all, regardless of our differences. I have been drawn to this theme from an early age. Perhaps because I grew up in a family as dysfunctional as the relationship between Cuba and the USA. The challenges that came from those past experiences have become one of my most important sources of knowledge and a motivator for personal growth.”

Mora grew up in Holguín, Cuba, where she graduated from Art school in 1990. In 2000 she was the recipient of the UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists in Paris, France. Her art has been exhibited internationally at art galleries and museums, and featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, among other publications. In 1996, while still living in Havana, Cuba, Mora was invited to teach at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she completed a residency as a visiting artist. She has also been a visiting artist at San Francisco State University, The Art Institute of Boston, and San Diego State University. From 1996 until the gallery closed, Mora’s work was represented by Phyllis Kind Gallery in Chicago and NYC. She currently works with Pan American Art Projects in Miami, FL, and Couturier Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.

“This new work is beauty that will shake your inner core.  With her technical and conceptual rigueur, Elsa unsettles honesty, using exquisite aesthetic poetry.” Said Magda Gonzalez-Mora who curated the show.

Magda is a Cuban Independent Curator and advisor based in Toronto. She was a founder of the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Centre in Havana, Cuba, and a member of the curatorial team for seven editions of the Havana Biennale.  A member of the International Association of Contemporary Art Curators (IKT), she is a curator for a permanent collection of contemporary Cuban art at the Art Gallery of Ontario and has curated shows for the Luminato Festival; Scotiabank Nuit Blanche; the Royal Ontario Museum; Arco Fair; Loop Video Art Barcelona; Pulse Miami; the Cuban section for the 1st Johannesburg Biennale; and the 1st Dakar Art Biennale, among others.

Please join us in celebrating Mora’s stunning new body of work at the opening reception on May 4th. The artist will be in attendance.

©Images: From  the series Natalie. Digital print on archival canvas, paper, and cotton thread.

PDF → TIMELINE Press Release