About Elif Karakoc
Elif Sanem Karakoc (b. 1990, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Los Angeles–based visual artist and photographer. She works in analog / film and digital photography and uses darkroom processes and mixed media in her practice.
In her portraiture and self-portraits, she creates fictional characters and settings that quietly explore identity, the passing of time, mortality, and sensitivity, drawing on the compositional traditions of historical painting and the storytelling of master photographers.
Her intimate, dreamy, and sometimes abstract work uses color, composition, and natural light to shape mood and atmosphere, while she seeks moments of subtle intensity in every frame.
She studied painting at Avni Akyol Fine Arts High School in Turkey and completed her BHA in Photography at Marmara University’s Fine Arts Academy. Elif held her first solo exhibition in 2006 at Iisalmi Underground Photo Gallery in Finland, and her work has since been exhibited internationally across United States, Europe and Asia.
Her photography has been featured in publications print and online including Vogue Turkiye, Photo Vogue Italia, LensCulture, LensScratch, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Musee Mag, Mob Journal, Lucy’s, and has been used for book covers worldwide.
Alongside her artistic practice, she collaborates with interior designers, museums, brands, and clients on interiors, still life, and fashion photography, applying the same intention to each project. Some of her previous clients include Airbnb, Hollywood Bowl Museum, LA Phil, Studio Design Partners of LA, Refik Anadol Studios, Penguin Books, and HarperCollins.
Exhibitions & Projects
2023
Los Angeles, I’m Yours, Group Exhibition IDOLWILD, Los Angeles, CA
2022
Mundaaang Los Angeles Exhibition, ArtshareLA x AngelCity Brewery,
Los Angeles, CA
PhotoLux Fest, Turkish Contemporary Photography - ‘Searching Love in a Fragile Environment,
Lecture by Emre Kuheylan, Lucca, Italy
My Year In A Photo, I-D, Online
The 2/22/2022 Exhibition, Lenscratch, Online
2020
Home Exhibition, LoosenArt, Millepiani, Rome, Italy
2019
Mirrors And Reflections Exhibition, LoosenArt, Rome, Italy
2018
Walt Disney Concert Hall Dreams, Refik Anadol Studios LLC, Los Angeles, CA
2017
Pancakes & Booze Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2016
Hayaka Artı/Interface Gallery Self-Portrait Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey
Hub Art Gallery, Dream Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey
UFAT Photography Festival, Bursa, Turkey
2014
Artistanbul Group Exhibition, Tüyap, Istanbul, Turkey
2011
In Between Slashes, Casa Dell'Arte \ Gallery Zilberman, Istanbul, Turkey
Make History Second Edition Exhibition, Modena, Italy
If You Leave – Book Launch and Photography Exhibition, London, UK
2009
Cosmic 2.0 Exhibition, Melanie Rio Gallery, Nantes, France
2008
8th Korean - Turkish Exchange Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey
2007
The International Photo Festival, Portugal
Karousel Art Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
Istanbul Street Style Exhibition, The Hall, Istanbul, Turkey
2006
Natural Philosophy – Solo Exhibition, Underground Photo Gallery, Iisalmi, Finland.
Book Covers
Annalisa De Simone | Le Mie Ragioni Te Le Ho Dette - Publisher: Marsilio, Italy
Laura Pugno | Sirene - Publisher: Marsilio, Italy
Donatella Rizzati | Il Segreto Dei Fiori Di Montmartre - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Francesca Cappai | La Primavera Dell'acero Tridente - Independent, Italy
Sabryna Bach | La Ragazza Delle Mele - Publisher: Rizzoli, Italy
Anne Sward | Fino All'ultimo Respiro - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Cecile Harel | En Attendant Que Les Beaux Jours Reviennent - Publisher: Les Escales, France
Hélène Grémillon | Il Confidente - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Honey Brown | After the Darkness - Publisher: Penguin, Australia
Patrick Modiano | L'erba delle notti - Publisher: Einaudi, Italy
Sayed Kashua | Tweede Persoon Enkelvoud - Publisher: Anthos, Holland
Mark Slouka | L’eta Delle Promesse - Publisher: Ponte alle Grazie, Italy
Michela Marzano | Se Non Avessi Conosciuto Le Tenebre - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Matteo B. Bianchi | Apocalisse A Domicilio - Publisher: Marsilio, Italy
Jacueline Lucas | Hoogbegaafdheid van dichtbij - Publisher: Boom, Amsterdam
Alesandro D’Avenia | Bianca Come Il Latte Rossa Come Il Sangue - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Caterina Bonvicini | L'equilibrio Degli Squali - Publisher: Garzanti, Italy
Alberto Bevilacqua | L'amore Stregone - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
David Grossman | Col Corpo Capisco - Publisher: Mondadori, Italy
Rosemary Clement | Moore | Texas Gothic - Publisher: Random House, USA
Gloria Wheelan | See What I See - Publisher: Harper Collins (HarperTeens), USA
Alistair Morgan | Sluimerstand (Sleeper's Wake) - Granta Books, USA