Canada
• 1979
Biography
Elaine Stocki, born in 1979 in Winnipeg, is a Canadian photographer known for her emotionally charged, retro-inspired work that blends street photography with themes of identity, race, class, and gender. Raised in a Polish-Jewish working-class neighborhood, she began photographing her surroundings with a family camera before formally studying photography at Yale University. Her signature style uses large hand-tinted silver gelatin prints, evoking nostalgia while tackling complex social issues.
Stocki relies on spontaneity and raw encounters, often working with strangers who respond to her newspaper ads. Her images may appear vintage, but their composition and themes feel strikingly modern, merging fantasy and reality, humor and vulnerability. She challenges conventional photography by reconstructing outdated techniques into bold, contemporary narratives.
Represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto, Stocki's work has been shown in the U.S., Canada, and Berlin, and is part of the permanent collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Nominated for both the Grange Prize and Sobey Art Award, she appeals to both casual viewers and photography connoisseurs by balancing formal visual structure with authentic human emotion.
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