Alicia Eler

Alicia Eler
Born Chicago, IL
Nationality American
Website
aliciaeler.com

Alicia Eler (born 1984, Chicago) is a writer based in Los Angeles. She contributes to dozens of culture publications, including The Guardian,[1] New York Magazine and The New Inquiry.[2] Eler’s work primarily centers on social media, popular culture, and visual art. She ran the popular Selfie Column on Hyperallergic,[3] and is regularly referred to as a selfie expert by media outlets. She is currently working on a book called The Selfie Generation[4] which will be published in 2017 through Skyhorse Books. She is represented by Caitlin McDonald at Donald Maass Literary Agency. Eler also regularly interviews celebrities. She recently served as the guest editor-in-chief of Art21 Magazine.

Early life and education

Eler grew up in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois.[5] She received a BA in art history from Oberlin College in 2006.[6]

Art Critic & Curator

Eler writes art criticism for many publications, including Artforum.com, Hyperallergic and Artsy. Buzzfeed interviewed her[7] about the legitimacy of photographer Terry Richardson’s artwork, to which she said: “Terry Richardson makes images that ask you to look at them not because they ask hard questions or question cultural norms, but because they are glossy and filled with celebrity.” The BuzzFeed piece was picked up by Perez Hilton.[8] ArtInfo interviewed her about creative gifts that one could give to an art critic for a recent holiday gift guide.

Eler has curated multiple art shows involving video art, new media and internet aesthetics. In 2013, Chicago magazine identified her as one of "six young art curators you should know,” noting her use of social media.[9]

Selfie Expert

From 2013-2014, Eler ran a column on Hyperallergic that was popularly referred to as the “Selfie Column.” [10] The column investigated the selfie as a popular culture phenomenon, considering its roots in self-portraiture, social networked culture, and feminism. The column ran every Monday, and included a round up of the week’s news, Eler’s selfie analysis, and selfie contributions from readers. There were more than 50 articles published on the selfie, establishing Eler as a selfie expert.

New York Magazine Senior Art Critic Jerry Saltz quotes her in his seminal article “Art at Arm’s Length: A History of the Selfie.” [11] "The critic Alicia Eler notes that they’re 'where we become our own biggest fans and private paparazzi,' and that they are 'ways for celebrities to pretend they’re just like regular people, making themselves their own controlled PR machines.'" Washington Post writer Dan Zak quotes her in his story ‘‘’Selfie’-reliance: The word of the year is the story of our individualism.”[12] “'Selfies are a form of vernacular photography, like amateur daguerreotype or Polaroid,’ says Alicia Eler, who writes routinely about selfies on the arts Web site Hyperallergic, ‘and the prevalence of the artistic tool (the smartphone) doesn’t diminish the value of the work.’” “'I think the self-portrait and the selfie are for anyone who’s continuously documenting the act of becoming,' she says. 'It’s not self-obsession, though. It’s a way to connect.'” She is currently working on a book called The Selfie Generation[13] which will be published in 2017 through Skyhorse Books.

Long-Form Collaborative Culture Essays

Eler has co-authored two essays on the affective labor and gamification of internet dating culture with writer Eve Peyser for The New Inquiry. Their first Tinder essay, “How to Win Tinder,” was named as one of Gawker’s "The Best Things We Read in 2015" [14] and one of Autostraddle’s “The Best Longreads of 2015 — All Written by Women” [15] She was recently referred to as a Tinder Expert on David Lizerbram & Associates podcast #1 iTunes podcast, Products of the Mind.[16]

Their second essay, “Tinderization of Feeling” went viral, receiving considerable press attention from outlets such as Le Monde (France) , The Daily Beast , Hyperallergic , The Independent , The Fader , and Daily Mail . The essay was also translated into Brazilian Portuguese . On Valentine’s Day 2016, Peyser and Eler were interviewed on Toronto-based Mark Towhey’s NEWSTALK 1010 radio show .

Eler co-authored Hyperallergic essay entitled “The Teen-Girl Tumblr Aesthetic” with Kate Durbin, in relation to her project WOMEN AS OBJECTS.[17] "The Teen Girl Tumblr Aesthetic" was the 7th most popular article on Hyperallergic in 2013. The essay was cited in an article on VICE[18] about what it’s like to be Tumblr famous. The New Yorker recently cited[19] their essay in a review of @sosadtoday's book of poetry.

After receiving criticism that the opening paragraph of the Teen Girl Tumblr Aesthetic essay was racially problematic, Eler worked with writer Brannon Rockwell-Charland on the essay “Naming a Radical Queer Girl Tumblr Aesthetic,” which sought to reclaim the teen-girl Tumblr aesthetic for queer people and people of color, and to disengage from normative beauty standards that are seen in the teen-girl Tumblr aesthetic. The essay was published on .dpi Feminist Journal of Art and Digital Culture (Montreal).[20]

Long-Form Culture Essays

Eler has written frequently cited long-form essays both solo and collaboratively. The Atlantic listed her essay "Joe Cool" on The New Inquiry as one of the must-read pop-culture/entertainment stories to read the week of March 5, 2016.[21]

Personal Narrative Essays

Eler’s personal narrative essays about adolescence, queerness, and digital vulnerability have been published in the Guardian and New York Magazine. She’s written several essays for the Guardian on the topics of how her mother’s career as a psychiatrist influenced her decision to be a writer,[22] the experience of reconnecting with a teenage sweetheart during the early days of texting,[23] and what it’s like to be a homoromantic bisexual person.[24] She challenged ideas of the cismale dick pic in her piece for New York Magazine, ‘What is the Lesbian Dick Pic?’,[25] which also includes a story of her own experience with this type of ‘dick pic.’ Previously, the lesbian dick pic had not been defined.

Editorial Roles

Eler was the guest editor-in-chief of two issues of PBS’ Art21 Magazine. She worked on the FAMILY Issue (May/June 2015) and the HAPPINESS Issue (September/October 2015) .

Viral News Stories

Eler broke the news story President Obama Pens Apology to an Art Historian for Hyperallergic.[26] It was featured on two network TV shows: MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show and NBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews . The story was picked up by the following publications: New York Times, New York Magazine, New York Post, Reuters, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Memorandum, Huffington Post, Complex, Washington Examiner, Townhall, The Wire, Mediaite, Chronicle of Higher Education. Eler wrote the story “The Artist is Not Present, But the Brand Sure Is” [27] for Hyperallergic about Marina Abramovic’s exhibition ‘’The Artist is Present at MoMA’’. The post received nearly 2K shares on Facebook, and spurred conversation about authenticity in Abramovic’s exhibition.

Celebrity Stories

Eler interviewed Steve Martin [28] about his first curatorial endeavor at The Hammer Museum for Artsy. Eler spoke with Miranda July about both the beginning and the end of her Somebody app for KCET Artbound [29] and Artsy,[30] respectively. Eler interviewed Kate Berlant [31] and Lauren Lapkus [32] about their Netflix Specials, The Characters, for Daily Dot.

Eler interviewed BRAVO Work of Art: The Next Great Artist runner-up Peregrine Honig about her residency in Argentina for Art21 Magazine.[33]

She recently interviewed John Early about his success as a young actor/comedian,[34] and Fred Melamed about his work in Maria Bamford's show, Lady Dynamite.[35]

Twitter

The DailyDot recently named her one of 15 hilarious women you need to follow [36] on Twitter.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Eler, Alicia; Peyser, Eve Peyser (January 2016). "Tinderization of Feeling". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  3. ↑ http://aliciaeler.com/2014/05/26/selfie/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ Eler, Alicia (2017). "The Selfie Generation". Skyhorse Books. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Eler, Alicia (1 September 2015). "Crystal Paradise:Time is a Dad watch". Crave. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "CV of Alicia Eler". Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Testa, Jessica (7 July 2014). "Terry Richardson Isn't Much Of An Artist, Art Critics Say". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Perez, Coco (8 July 2014). "Terry Richardson Has Been Called A Sex Offender, But It's What He ISN'T Being Called Now That Will Probably Burn Him The Most!". Perez Hilton. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  9. ↑ Jason, Foumberg (4 June 2013). "Chicago has six young art curators you should know". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Eler, Alicia (24 June 2013). "I, Selfie: Saying Yes to Selfies". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Saltz, Jerry (26 January 2014). "Art at Arm's Length: A History of the Selfie". New York Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Zak, Dan (19 November 2013). "'Selfie'-reliance: The word of the year is the story of our individualism". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Eler, Alicia (2017). "The Selfie Generation". Skyhorse Books. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Best Things We Read in 2015". Gawker. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  15. ↑ Riese (29 December 2015). "The Best Longreads of 2015 — All Written by Women". Autostraddle. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Lizerbram, David (21 March 2016). "Products of the Mind". David Lizerbram & Associates. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  17. ↑ Eler, Alicia; Durbin, Kate (1 March 2013). "The Teen-Girl Tumblr Aesthetic*". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  18. ↑ King-Slutzky, Johannah (13 August 2013). "What It's Like To Be Tumblr Famous". Vice. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Mlotek, Haley (24 March 2016). "The Hidden Vulnerabilities of @sosadtoday". The New Yorker. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  20. ↑ Eler, Alicia; Rockwell-Charland, Brannon. "Naming a Radical Queer Girl Tumblr Aesthetic". .dpi. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Blackflix and Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone: The Week in Pop-Culture Writing". The Atlantic. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Eler, Alicia (26 June 2015). "My mother, myself: how her profession influenced - and reflects - my own work". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  23. ↑ Eler, Alicia (31 July 2015). "When my 90s-era online love showed up, I knew my memories were a fantasy". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Eler, Alicia (2 October 2015). "I don't call myself bisexual – I let my stories tell themselves". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  25. ↑ Eler, Alicia (29 April 2016). "What Is the Lesbian Dick Pic?". New York Magazine. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  26. ↑ Eler, Alicia (18 February 2014). "President Obama Pens Personal Apology to an Art Historian". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  27. ↑ Eler, Alicia (17 July 2013). "The Artist Is Not Present But the Brand Sure Is". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  28. ↑ Eler, Alicia (13 October 2015). "Steve Martin on Celebrity, Collecting Art, and Curating His First Show". Artsy. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  29. ↑ Eler, Alicia (11 September 2014). "Miranda July: Looking for Somebody". KCET. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  30. ↑ Eler, Alicia (20 October 2015). "Miranda July on Killing Somebody". Artsy. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  31. ↑ Eler, Alicia (11 March 2016). "The art world meets Kate Berlant's brain in new Netflix special". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  32. ↑ Eler, Alicia (4 April 2016). "The many faces of Lauren Lapkus". Daily Dot. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  33. ↑ Eler, Alicia (4 February 2013). "Traveling with Peregrine Honig's American-Argentinian Twin Boys". Art 21 Magazine. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  34. ↑ Eler, Alicia (21 May 2016). "Actor and Comedian John Early Is Taking Over All Your Screens". Maxim. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  35. ↑ Eler, Alicia (20 May 2016). "Fred Melamed on his heralded new Netflix series, 'Lady Dynamite'". Daily Dot. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  36. ↑ Peyser, Eve (4 August 2015). "15 hilarious women you need to follow on Twitter". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

External links

  1. Artists Website
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