Eden Taff

Eden Taff (b. 2000) is an artist from Washington, DC. She is currently a senior at NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration on contemporary art theory and taste and a minor in Studio Art. Taff’s work is multidisciplinary, including oil painting, drawing, and multimedia artwork. She explores the pursuit of “pure emotion,” or the desire to experience powerful feelings such as love, fear, and grief, and somehow manifest these internal sensations and drives in a visual manner. Eden often depicts human bodies in nostalgic or familiar settings to demonstrate both the profound humanity and daunting alienation that extreme emotion evokes within the body.

Works

Blue Wrestling Shoes

A visual motion of self-soothing is captured in the visage of the piece’s violet-hued subject and her guarded position. Legs drawn close together and upright, the figure’s position speaks to the elusiveness of being grounded. The blue wrestling shoes offer a compelling transition from the warm, emotive intensity of the figure’s face and body. In a way, both the blue shoes and the violet body act as a holding container for strong, unyielding feelings.

And So I’ll Write 1000 Poems

In the pursuit of pure emotion, the artist manifests a double mirror of herself through nostalgic written and visual expression. The piece was initially formulated through poetic writing and these lines laid the foundation for this visual self-portrait:

“Everything I know about you is in my own image everything I know about you is a careful stack of shattered glass that halos under the early summer moon…

And so l’Il write 1000 poems until there is nothing left to say because all of my words have become red ribbons tied neatly around little boxes holding pictures of You.”

Outside of Me

This portrait draws the viewer’s eye to the outlined, glazed expression of the figure. The deconstructed nature of the painting highlights the fleshiness of the body while also calling attention to the fragility of the human form.