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Q&A with Emily Elhoffer

Emily Elhoffer is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is inspired by hidden forms and processes of the body. Their work deals with themes that affect their body, such as the contemporary gaze cast upon it and mind-body dysphoria. Through their art, Elhoffer invites viewers to question their own assumptions and consider alternative ways of living within one’s own flesh.
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Graduating year
MFA in Visual Art ’24
Written by
Caitlin Custer

Briefly describe your thesis project.
My thesis project is exploring themes of a virtual body, which I examine through visual art and also philosophize upon within my thesis text. It is a singular, tall sculpture with an upholstered white surface and an inset tube television. The television displays a live deepfaked artificial face, one which is also white and upholstered-looking, and a hidden webcam above the TV allows the face to mirror a viewer’s facial expressions.  

What do you hope someone feels when they experience your work?
I hope for viewers to feel a sense of uncanny othering by this piece; the real-time deepfaked experience will give people a sense of being out-of-place, situated both within their own body and inside of another, artificial body. 

How does your research interact with this project?   My research involves the generation of imagined, or virtual bodies to discuss topics within technology and contemporary feminist discourse. This work is a direct result of my research.  

Emily Elhoffer in her studio (Photo: Caitlin Custer)

What was your path to becoming an artist like?
I’ve worked in many fields, and my interdisciplinary approach to creativity has always come from an artistic perspective. Having applied myself in fabrication, marketing, construction, administration, and communication, I really enjoy research and inventing my own processes in the studio. 

What’s it been like to make work alongside your cohort?
My cohort has been the most valuable part of my experience at WashU, and I’m incredibly lucky to be making work alongside such compassionate, inspirational people.