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My Surreal Selections

Curated by Elena Mary Siff

Santa Monica, CA, United States

1945, New York City.....collage, assemblage, altered book and installation artist. Also independent curator . My work has been described as visionary and surreal.

In my studio, I interpret the mystery, the humor and the threat of my dreams. Like a beachcomber or a scavenger wondering among the ruins, I collect and juxtopose bits of disparate material, creating my own order. The souvenirs of my travels have been a constant source of inspiration.

"Everything can be used, but of course one doesn't know it at the time. How does one know what a certain object will tell another"

- Joseph Cornell.

That unpredictable dialogue is the basis of my method and my faith.

I live in Santa Monica now!

Capturing the transitory: Seduced by L.A.

Los Angeles is a city of never-ending motion - rootless...transitory - here today, gone tomorrow. It is truly a contemporary city, as passing through, not permanence, has become a major part of the human condition.
They say that if you turn America on end, everything loose slides into L.A.
Los Angeles has always been a magnet for bohemians, gypsies and wanderers from all cultures. We are a city of refugees and displaced persons. The transitory has been institutionalized in L.A. which makes our landmarks even more iconic and valuable. L.A. is a city of the brief encounter, the momentary assignation which sometimes ends in seduction. The rootlessness of the place may have been an aberration of history but Los Angeles has turned that aberration into a powerful kind of adaptive mechanism. Ebbing and flowing, a non-homogeneous collection of human types piled decades high upon the magnificent California landscape has produced something distinctive - a rich cultural life tinged with a touch of evil. Decadence has never been more fun. I have been seduced by this barely functional city: The never ending rush hour and the constant hint of chaos- the poisonous flower - home sweet home!