ÉLAN CADIZ
(b. 1978, Harlem, NY; lives and works in Harlem, NY)
Élan Cadiz is an interdisciplinary, multiethnic visual artist whose work deconstructs and rebalances identity through portraiture and layered imagery. Grounded in personal narrative, she explores intersections of family, domestic life, history, and power, examining how these forces shape relationships and selfhood. She works fluidly across mediums, collaging materials into a dynamic visual language.
Cadiz holds a BA from The City College of New York and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited at The Studio Museum in Harlem, El Museo del Barrio, and Weeksville Heritage Center, and she has taught with institutions including the Brooklyn Museum and Harlem School of the Arts.
Children’s Art Carnival affiliation: Studio Artist and Teaching Artist, 2023-Present
America, 2023-2025
Mixed media on Osnaburg fabric
72 x 36 in.
Courtesy of the artist
Élan Cadiz was introduced to the Carnival in the summer of 1979, when, as a toddler, she accompanied her father, Edwin Cadiz to his workplace. Edwin had been hired as a teaching artist and worked primarily with neighborhood children to improve the Carnival’s garden space. Forty-five years later, Cadiz became reacquainted with the Carnival through the 2023 Emergency community arts banner exhibition. Presented by West Harlem Arts, a collaborative initiative between the Carnival and Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano, the exhibition responded to socially and politically emergent issues such as mass shootings, civil unrest, COVID-19, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
While working on the project, Cadiz strengthened her relationship with the Carnival, finding a sense of community and artistic support that eventually led to her formally joining the organization. The Emergency project also helped shape the direction of Cadiz’s work, inspiring this mixed-media self-portrait exploring how America’s history of colonialism and enslavement creates cognitive dissonance for marginalized populations who are both Americans on the global stage yet othered at home. QR codes connect viewers to primary historical resources.
MINI ORAL HISTORY
