Elise Vazelakis

Elise Marks Vazelakis is a Los Angeles–based artist whose practice explores material transformation through traditional textile processes and unconventional materials. Working with discarded plastics, found objects, metal wire, and biodegradable biomaterials, she creates textile-based sculptures that examine consumption, impermanence, and our relationship with the natural world.

In Driving With My Eyes Closed, Vazelakis transforms discarded Amazon packaging into plastic yarn and hand-twines it using a traditional basketry technique. By pairing single-use plastic with slow, labor-intensive processes, the work reflects on contemporary patterns of consumption and the environmental consequences of convenience culture.

Her current series, Never the Same River, extends this investigation through biodegradable materials. She creates algae-based bioplastic yarn and bioceramics from sodium alginate derived from brown seaweed, glycerin, water, eggshells, and other natural materials. Inspired by Heraclitus' philosophy of continual change, these works are designed to transform in response to humidity, sunlight, and other environmental conditions before eventually returning to the earth. Rather than resisting change, the materials embrace it, inviting viewers to reconsider permanence and the life cycle of the objects we create.

Vazelakis earned a BS from San Diego State University and an MFA in Fiber from California State University, Long Beach. Her work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Dubai, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and in group exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally. Her work is included in private and public collections, including the Faisaliah Resort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Available Works

To learn more about Elise Vazelakis, please visit www.elisevazelakis.com
For purchase inquiries email: elise@elisevazelakis.com
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