Elize de Beer
In residence: June - July 2026
Elize de Beer is a South African visual artist based in Cork, Ireland. Working across printmaking, artist books, sculpture and installation, her multidisciplinary practice explores the ways in which histories are constructed, mediated, and re-imagined. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and is held in private and institutional collections including the OPW, Ireland, and the University of Cape Town.
At the core of de Beer’s expanded print practice is a critical engagement with archival materials. Drawing on both photographic and written sources, she examines not only the act of archiving itself, but also how archives shape personal narratives and inform broader global concerns such as climate change, migration, land, and the preservation of knowledge. Through a combination of analogue and digital processes, she constructs alternative readings of history, opening space for layered and speculative interpretations.
During her residency in June 2026, de Beer will develop a new body of work as part of an ongoing project centred on her grandfather’s photographic archive, documenting his life working in Antarctica in the 1970s–80s. Bringing this material into dialogue with the Arctic context, she will explore connections between the two polar regions through research in local archives and direct engagement with the landscape.
Working across writing, photography, drawing, sculpture, monotype, and etching, de Beer will begin to construct her own Arctic “intentional archive.” Through this process, she reflects on environmental and social ecosystems, tracing the impact of global human activity on these fragile regions while drawing on personal narratives of migration. The project underscores the role of artistic practice in expanding archives and preserving knowledge through new and accessible forms of interpretation.
Instagram: @elizadebeer.art
de Beer’s practice and participation in the residency at Artica Svalbard have been supported by Creative Europe, Sample-Studios and Cork County Council.
