Elizabeth Chiles is an American artist based in Austin, Texas making visual art that searches beyond the physical, to places of peace, contemplation, and connection. Exploring the intersections between an embodied human perception, the ever-shifting physical world, and the mysterious world beyond our sensory awareness, Chiles’ work pushes the boundaries of photography. It was upon seeing the infinite in a blade of grass as a child that Chiles began her personal and artistic pursuits.
Born in Austin and raised in Houston, Texas, Elizabeth graduated with a B.A. in Art History from Columbia University and an M.F.A. in Photography from San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been widely exhibited, including Over Time, a solo exhibition at Pump Project nominated for best solo show in Austin 2015–2016, 15 to Watch at the Austin Museum of Art (now The Contemporary Austin) in 2011, The Texas Biennial in 2011, and in 2013 with the collective Lakes Were Rivers, and The Collector’s Guide to New Art Photography, organized by Humble Arts at the Chelsea Art Museum, New York. Her exhibition Weave at grayDUCK Gallery earned her a nomination for Best Artist in the 2017–2018 season. Elizabeth has taught over 30 courses in theory and photography at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, and Southwestern University. She currently teaches at St. Edward's University. She served on the Board of Trustees and was co-chair of programming at the Austin Center for Photography from 2008–2015, and has served as a mentor to several young artists and a juror on a number of grants and awards panels. She is the recipient of City of Austin arts grants from 2014–2021.