Elliot and Erick Jiménez

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Elliot and Erick Jiménez (born 1989 in Miami) are first-generation Cuban-American identical twins and a visual artist duo working at the intersection of contemporary art and fashion, based in New York. Their approach to photography frequently incorporates experimental techniques that blurs the line between painting and photographic imagery.. In 2023, they photographed Bad Bunny for the cover of Time magazine's centennial year, which was the publication's first-ever edition in Spanish..

Early life

Elliot and Erick Jiménez were born and raised in Miami, Florida, to Cuban immigrants. They were raised by their grandmother, who adopted them at a young age. While in high school, they both enrolled in a film photography course that sparked their passion for the medium. Initially, the brothers worked separately, but after a few years of pursuing individual careers, they officially began collaborating as a duo. After gaining a few years of local experience in their hometown of Miami, they moved to New York to further pursue their careers in art and photography.

Artwork, style and influences

La Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1814.

Elliot & Erick Jiménez's art practice emerged from an early fascination with art history and was influenced by their upbringing, which was steeped in the mysticism of gods in mythology, Yoruba, and Catholic syncretic elements –– all central to the Cuban folkloric culture known as Lucumí. Raised by their Afro-Cuban grandmother, they inherited much of their culture's oral traditions from her Inspired by paintings, their work captures the ephemeral nature of light and color through experimental camera techniques, staging, and compositions that render their subjects with a painterly quality. Elliot & Erick's artwork bridges the unique culture of Lucumí within Cuban spirituality and Western art traditions. Visually, they reappropriate art historical references from Western art to underscore nuanced topics around Cuban culture that aren’t commonly known, such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' La Grande Odalisque or Jan van Eyck's Portrait of a Man. Elliot & Erick depict shadow figures, historically concealed due to religious persecution, using costumes and lighting. They also incorporate impressionist florals, referencing artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and Redon to convey symbolic meanings through color; linking to various cultures’ traditions of associating florals with specific deities. The shadow figures they depict, once hidden out of fear of persecution, now serve as powerful symbols that seamlessly integrate the duo’s personal narratives into this cultural framework.

They credit much of their inspiration to the late Cuban artist Belkis Ayón, known for her collography. Like Ayón’s figures, Elliot & Erick’s remain anonymous, however, for them, this is a reflection on the history of how Lucumí has existed in Cuban society––in the shadows.

Chanel Artist Award Program

In 2024 the Jiménez brothers were selected by Chanel and the Tribeca Film Festival for the 19th annual Chanel Artist Award program, alongside Jenny Holzer, Glenn Ligon, Deborah Kass, Joiri Minaya, José Parlá, Juliana Huxtable, and Tourmaline.

Public art

During Art Basel Miami 2023, they created their first public art project in collaboration with LVMH for Miami Design District. The project, which consisted of a site specific billboard that spans 100 linear feet, depicts a shadow figure of a reclining mermaid, representing Yemaya, with thousands of iridescent sequins hand sewn across the tail.

Fashion work

Elliot and Erick Jiménez began their journey in photography through fashion before expanding into contemporary art. Like their artwork, their fashion photography reflects a painterly quality and features bold color compositions. They have collaborated with a number of brands and publications, including Hermès, Gucci, Christopher John Rogers, Time, and Vogue, along with celebrities like Bad Bunny and Selena Gomez.

Exhibitions, collections, and honors

Elliot and Erick Jiménez's work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe in both solo and group exhibitions, including museum exhibitions. Notable exhibitions include their first solo show titled Entre Dos Mundos at Spinello Projects (2022), along with a solo presentation at the 25th edition of Paris Photo (2022), followed by a solo presentation at Photofairs New York (2023), including group exhibitions at the Bass Museum, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Orlando Museum of Art; all between 2022-2024.

Their inclusion in the group exhibition Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940 was inspired by the history of Surrealism in the Caribbean with connections to notions of the Afrosurreal in the United States. The exhibition represented a global perspective and was the first intergenerational show dedicated to Caribbean and African diasporic art presented at at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which included Elliot & Erick Jiménez, Wangechi Mutu, Ana Mendieta, Belkis Ayón, Wifredo Lam, Kerry James Marshall, Nick Cave, Firelei Báez, Kara Walker and Arthur Jafa.

Their work is in the permanent collection of Beth Rudin DeWoody's the Bunker Artspace and the Orlando Museum of Art.

They have also received awards including The Ellies Creator Award, the Miami Individual Artist Award, The Florida Prize in Contemporary Art Award, The South Arts Award, and The Latin American Fashion Award for Best Emerging Photographer; all between 2022-2024.

Books

Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940 ISBN 978-1636811284

Further reading

• Elliot e Erick Jiménez per Gucci Beauty, Vogue Italia, November 18, 2022.
• 10 Questions with Holly Roussell, curator of this year’s Curiosa sector at Paris Photo, British Journal of Photography, November 9, 2022.
• Heading out to enjoy Miami Art Week? Here are some works of art you can’t miss, Miami Herald, December 2, 2022.
• ¿Quiénes son los gemelos de origen cubano que fotografiaron a Bad Bunny para la portada de Time?, ADN America, March 29, 2023.
• On Mysticism, Mythology and Syncretism: Elliot and Erick Jiménez, Office Magazine, September 3, 2023.
• What Not to Miss at PHOTOFAIRS New York, Observer, September 8, 2023.
• Meet 6 Rising Talents From the Inaugural Photofairs New York, artnet, September 11, 2023.
• Erick and Elliot Jiménez’s shadow figures are a portal into traditions and history, It's Nice That, September 12, 2023
• From her shadowy anonymity, “Reclining Mermaid” invites us to consider our own narratives, Miami Herald, December 3, 2023.
• ‘It’s about time.’ Miami artists are ‘ascendant’ on international scene this Art Week, Miami Herald, December 3, 2023.
• A Poignant Migratory Symbol on a Historic Miami Building, Surface Magazine, December 8, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Instagram

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