Eli Craven (b. 1979) is an artist based in Lafayette, Indiana where he is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Purdue University. Craven’s research resides in the critical investigation of the image and its relationship to ideologies of sexuality, desire, and death. His work is exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently at KlompChing Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, at the South Bend Museum of Art's 31st Biennial, and at Feinkunst Krüger Gallery in Hamburg, Germany. His work has also been widely published. Select publications and clients include Philosophie Magazine, The Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Gestalten Publishing Berlin, Penguin Random House Barcelona, and The Paris National Opera.
Exhibitions
2024
Soap Opera, KlompChing Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Beholden, Aurora Photo Center, Indianapolis, IN
Will You Be My +1, Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2023
I Don’t Want to Fall in Love Again, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Unseen Photography Fair, Kant Gallery Booth, Amsterdam, NL
Word of Mouth, A the Airts Gallery, Sanquhar, Scotland
Transitory Periods of Greatness, Collaboration with Maria Chavez, The Arts Federation, Lafayette, IN
Altered, Candela Gallery, Richmond, VA
#Social, CICA Museum, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
OH, KY, IN Regional Exhibition, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
The Factory, Open House Contemporary, Chicago, IL
2022
Pathfinders, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN
Aurora Pop-Up Exhibition, Re:Public, Indianapolis, IN
Desire Lines, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
Fresh 2022, KlompChing Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Rueff Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
We Like Small Things V.5, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Post-It, De Krook, Ghent, Belgium
Context 2022, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Post Process, The Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Lafayette, IN
2021
First Aid and the Living Anatomy, Telluride Arts, Telluride, CO
Biennial 31, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN
Collage Collage, PiscinaComunale, Milan, Italy
Context 2021, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Solitude, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
2020
Focal Point, Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, MO
The World Collage Atlas, Kunstwerkt, Schiedam, Netherlands
In Contact, The Baldwin Photographic Gallery, Murfreesboro, TN
Photograms, Don’t Take Pictures Magazine, Brooklyn, NY (online exhibition)
Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Rueff Galleries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
D&A #13, Dock 6 Collective, Chicago, IL (online exhibition)
Intimacies and Influence, Open House Contemporary, Chicago, IL
2019
Salvaconnome, PiscinaComunale, Milan, Italy
Holding What Cannot Be Held, Ming Studios, Boise, ID
The World Collage Atlas, Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke, Belgium
The Age of Collage, Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg, Germany
Context 2019, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Biennial Faculty Exhibition, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
2018
Swimming and Diving, Collaboration with Maria Chavez, Visual Arts Center, Boise State University
American Splendour: New Photography, Ilon Art Gallery, New York, NY
2017
Cut and Paste-Exposição de Colagem, Biennial of Contemporary Art Maia, Portugal
Out of Sight, Schoenfeld's Building, curated by Benedict Heywood, Greg Lundgren, S. Surface, and Justen Siyuan Waterhouse, Seattle, WA
2017 Biennial Art Department Faculty Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Boise State University, Boise, ID
Eli Craven (solo), Open House Contemporary, Chicago, IL
Touching (solo), DEMO Project, Springfield, IL
2016
P.S. (solo), Tarble Arts Center, Charleston, IL
A Load, Especially a Heavy One (solo), The Atlanta School, Atlanta, ID
ABBRVTN, Figure One Gallery, Champaign, IL
P.S., MFA Thesis Exhibition, Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL
A Load, Especially a Heavy One (solo), The Opgenorth, Champaign, IL
Unlocked, Atopos CVC, Athens, Greece
2015
Imaginary Portraits, Curated by Leo and Pipo, En Face, Paris, France
Sinking Feeling, Curated by Jason Judd, Demo Project, Springfield, IL
YesAllWomen, Dilettante, Los Angeles, CA
Disconnection, Curated by Justin Tyler Close, Wilding Cran Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
From Now, Curated by Allison Grant, Filter Space, Chicago, IL
Eidetic Image, Curated by Christina Hirukawa and Meredith Preuss, Burrard Arts Foundation, Capture Photo Festival, Vancouver, BC, Canada
New Terrains: The Landscape Reviewed, Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL
2014
Naive Objects (solo), Figure One Gallery, Champaign, IL
Sans-Hiatus, Link Gallery, Urbana, IL
May, DdA Factory Gallery, Cagliari, Italy
2013
2013 Idaho Triennial, Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
Patchbox Project, Cargo Gallery, Rome, Italy
Unfinished, Gallery at the Linen Building, Boise, ID
2012
Americas 2012: All Media, Northwest Art Center Hartnett Gallery, Minot State University, Minot, ND
Dry Spell, collaborative installation with architect Maria Chavez, Eagle Performing Arts Center, Eagle, ID
Wither and Bloom, Visual Arts Collective, Garden City, ID
Canoeing, collaborative installation with architect Maria Chavez, Bricolage Gallery, Boise, ID
2011
Janet Jackson's Intergalactic Mimetic Soul Shakedown, curated by Benjamin Love, Sam Fox School of Art St. Louis, MO
Fresh Air: Regional Juried Exhibition for Emerging Artists, Juror: Courtney Gilbert, Visual Art Center, Boise State University, Boise, ID
2010
One Trick Pony, 2010 BFA Thesis Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Boise State University, Boise, ID
One Night Stand, Joebar Gallery, Seattle, WA
Smokers (solo), Good Damn Projects, Boise, ID
Publications
2022
Eccetera Magazine, Issue 2. Linkiesta Publishing, Milan, Italy, October 2022
2021
Carnale Magazine: Issue 1: “Desiderio.” Milan, Italy. May 2021
2020
Lampoon Magazine, Issue #21: “Prototype.” Milan, Italy. May 2020
2019
Terrain Issue #72: Censures, Paris, France, November 2019
Found Footage Magazine, Issue #5, Barcelona, Spain
Philosophie Magazine, Emmanuel Levinas Special Issue, France, January 2019
2018
O, The Oprah Magazine, Reading Room, August 2018
Don Pasquale Programme, Opéra National de Paris, June - July 2018
Ataduras (Cover), Domenico Starnone, Penguine Randomhouse Barcelona, May 2018
Elle UK, You Have a New Match, May 2018
The Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Volume 14, Issue 3 (Cover)
2017
International Photography Annual Vol. 4, Manifest Press, Cincinnati, Oh
2016
The Age of Collage Vol. 2, Gestalten, Berlin Germany
Unlocked, Atopos CVC, Athens Greece
2014
Collage Makers, Monsa Publications, Barcelona Spain
Baron Magazine, "The Future of Sex", Issue #3, UK
2013
Neverlazy Quarterly (cover), Winter 2013
The Age of Collage, Gestalten, Berlin
2012
In Flight: On the Plane, The Velvet Cell, Osaka Japan
Press
2023
Modig, Karolina. “Artnotes Visits: Unseen.” Artnotes. September 2023
Blasco, Juan. “Selections from Unseen.” Conceptual Projects. September 2023
Garbrecht, Brian, “Photographers on Photographers: In Conversation with Eli Craven.” Lenscratch. August 2023
2022
Eli Craven, Hopper Prize, Portfolio Feature, February 2022
2021
“The Sensuality of Bonacina 1889’s Wood Told Through the Eyes of Eli Craven.” Lampoon Magazine, December 2021
2020
Tuja, Máximo, “Eli Craven: Reassigning the Lost Meaning in Found Photography.” The Weird Show, access date: March 9, 2020, www.theweirdshow.info
2019
Tuja, Máximo, "Dennis Busch Curates The Age of Collage 2 Exhibition" The Weird Show, access date: March, 11, 2019, www.theweirdshow.info
Galmozzi, Marta, "Six Questions: Eli Craven" Tique Art Paper, access date: January 30, 2019, www.tique.art/paper
2018
Hawk, Greta, "It Was a Hobby That Turned Into an Obsession" Kluid Magazine, access date: June 21, 2018, www.kluidmagazine.com
2017
Feinstein, Jon, "Photography Highlights From Seattle's Two Legit-Most Art Fairs" Humble Arts Foundation, access date : August 5, 2017, www.hafny.org
Horvat, Katja, "Distorted World of Eli Craven" Interview Magazine Germany, access date: April 18, 2017, www.interview.de
Faingold, Scott, "A Touching Display" Illinois Times, January 26, 2017
2016
Defert, Auriane, "Spread: Eli Craven Interview", We Are Some Wild Children, Issue J16, access date: January 20, 2016, wearesomewildchildren.co.uk
2015
Briongos, Rubén, "Interview: Eli Craven", The Weird Show, access date: May 6, 2015, weirdshow.info
M. Sandro, "Eli Craven Interview", No Tofu Magazine, access date: March 25th, 2015, notofu.com
2014
Festa, Lauren, "Interview: Eli Craven", Adult Magazine, access date: November 14th, 2014, adult-mag.com
"Cut, Tear, Paste", Kunstbeeld Magazine, Vol #9, Netherlands, Belgium, September
2013
Passarivaki, Maria, "Screen Lovers", Ignant, access date: April 22, 2013, ignant.de
Vanhemert, Kyle, "Steamy Scenes From the Silver Screen, Folded Into Consummation", Fast Company Design, access date: April 30, 2013.www.fascodesign.com
2012
Oland, Dana “The Denizens of Black Hunger Prod Notions of Art”, The Idaho Statesman, September 21
Schnoor, Christopher "Wither and Bloom Explores Truth and Memory" The Boise Weekly, Volume 21, Issue 1, June 27th-July 3rd
Masterson, Sarah "Black Hunger" The Boise Weekly, Volume 20, Issue 40, March 28-April 3
Education
2016 MFA Photography, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL
2011 BFA Photography, Boise State University, Boise, ID
Teaching Experience
2019-Present Assistant Professor of Photography, Purdue University
2017-2019 Adjunct Faculty, Department of Art, Boise State University
2016-2017 Adjunct Faculty, School of Art + Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign