15 February 2023 (New Orleans, LA) JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY is pleased to announce Everything Changes, the third solo exhibition of Amsterdam and New Orleans-based artist duo E2 – Kleinveld & Julien. In the artists’ continued exploration of revising and recontextualizing art historical masterpieces, the latest suite of interdisciplinary, photographic works focuses on Modern virtuosos: Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, and Norman Rockwell. Most notably, this collection of eight new works distinguishes and unveils innovations in their process techniques as they begin to incorporate painting into the prints. Everything Changes will debut their first-ever, unique painting.

The artists state . . .  

“Everything Changes”, the latest phase of our ongoing series In Empathy We Trust, presents odes to iconic images from the Modern and Contemporary art periods. Our artistic process during Everything Changes was heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the inescapable upheaval brought about by this once-in-a-lifetime event. This major societal shift alongside ongoing social unrest compelled us to further explore the distorted realities permeating American culture and, consequently, veiling oppression of marginalized communities. With lockdown restrictions disrupting our usual process of gathering for photoshoots, we also began playing with new approaches for our work. As a result, our latest iteration marks a new technique exploration, with completely over-painting atop of select prints, adding an additional layer of distortion to an already-altered reality.

The title for this show takes inspiration from one of our favorite Frida Kahlo quotes: “Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away.” The pandemic fostered a collective understanding of just how malleable and fragile our reality is. Our perceptions, our personal routines, and our culture as a whole – these realities are never guaranteed stasis, and the only way to move forward is to evolve, both as artists and individuals. The pieces in this show invite viewers to embrace the inevitability of change and the natural discomfort of re-examining their expectations of how a work of art – and by extension, a culture – should look.

The process of creating an E2 image has always involved intense collaboration, and the images here would not be possible without stellar teamwork. We would especially like to thank Cameron Wood for his extensive digital post-production and our wonderful models.

E2 – Kleinveld & Julien, a collaboration between New Orleans artists Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien, re-imagines iconic images from art history to challenge the insularity of the Western art canon. Kleinveld and Julien share a mutual interest in issues of social justice and a belief in the power of empathy and images to change perceptions, minds, and hearts. Their ongoing series In Empathy We Trust re-envisions the work of old master painters by re-casting subjects of marginalized identities, beginning with the Flemish Primitives and spanning nearly 600 years through the 20th century. E2 hopes their remakes inspire viewers to question their own perceptions and indeed, to see the world anew.

The exhibition will be on view from 25 February through 8 April 2023 with an opening reception on Saturday 4 March and closing reception on Saturday 1 April - both coinciding with the Arts District of New Orleans’ (ADNO) First Saturday Gallery Openings from 5 – 9 PM.

For more information, press or sales inquiries please contact Gallery Director Matthew Weldon Showman at 504.343.6827 or matthew@jonathanferraragallery.com. Please join the conversation with JFG on Facebook (@JonathanFerraraGallery), Twitter (@JFerraraGallery), and Instagram (@JonathanFerraraGallery) via the hashtags: #E2, #JonathanFerraraGallery, and #ArtsDistrictNewOrleans.