Emmanuelle Namont Kouznetsov

BIOGRAPHY

Emmanuelle Namont is an artist, curator, and educator whose work integrates sculpture, photography, installation, and performance.

Born in Amiens, France, Emmanuelle received a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Practice from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2008. Her fine art has been exhibited in various venues both nationally and internationally and has been acquired by several private collections.

As an independent curator, Emmanuelle has worked with over a 100 national and international artists since 2008. She also co-founded a commercial gallery in San Francisco focused on photography-based practices. Additionally, she co-directs OFFSpace, a Bay Area curatorial organization that explores real-world site-specificity and examines the relationship between site, object, action, and curation.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Born on a farm in France, on the former battlefields of the Battle of the Somme, I have been drawn to the concept of destruction since childhood. Playing with unearthed shells—remnants of war uncovered through the daily activity of farming—I have continued to integrate the themes of play and danger into my artistic practice.

Whether working in photography or sculpture, my work explores the concept of fragmentation over time. My recent photographic work exemplifies these ideas by monumentalizing damaged and burnt buildings, their crumbling forms revealing the impermanence of the human condition. Earlier works allude to bodily fragmentation through everyday family scenes, captured and partially erased.

My sculptural and installation work, much like my photography, explores fractured worlds, disappearance, and fragility. Through a diverse range of materials—including concrete, animal pelts, and live spiders—I investigate the delicate balance between presence and absence, resilience and decay.