Elisha Enfield, 'Kamidana'

Elisha Enfield’s work explores the divided history of burnings - from ancient funeral pyres, through witch hysteria, to modern community celebrations. Simple, joyful, yet macabre. These practices overlap and imprint across time and place. For Enfield, sometimes this thread is tangible; moments where we feel, rather than see the presence of something, or someone. Her work often explores these blurred boundaries, inviting the viewer to linger in that betwixt and between.

Elisha has written about 'Kamidana':  "This painting is part of my ongoing exploration of ritual—not just grand ceremonies, but the small, everyday acts that hold deep meaning.

'Kamidana' emerged at a time when I was reflecting on the passing of my grandmothers—on how objects can become vessels for memory. A bowl, a photograph, a handwritten note—these things carry the weight of those we love.

'Kamidana' invites the viewer to consider these quiet rituals in their own lives. What objects do we cherish? What stories do they hold? And how do they tether us to memory, to love, and to those who came before."

Elisha studied painting at the University of Brighton, graduating in 2011. Recent work has been selected for the BEEP Painting Biennial, Manchester Contemporary and ING Discerning Eye, where it was awarded the Landscape and Midlands Prizes. She is the winner of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2022. Her work is held in public collections nationally and private collections worldwide.