Originally from Mexico City, Elizabeth Z. Pineda is an emerging artist. Her work explores complicated issues regarding immigration, identity, displacement, and migrant deaths that occur in the Arizona desert. Pineda speaks visually of community, touching on language barriers, culture, and society. Her practice is rooted in handmaking as an expression of her deep ties to the subject matter using historic and untraditional photographic, printmaking, papermaking, and book art processes.
Pineda’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions. It is currently being exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum, 2024 Arizona Artist Awards (Phoenix, AZ), and at the Maltz Museum, El Sueño Americano / The American Dream (Beachwood, OH). Her work has been published in The Experimental Darkroom: Contemporary Uses of Black & White Photographic Materials by Christina Z. Anderson (Focal Press, 2022), and The World of Photography 2, Mediterranean House of Photography, (Fotonostrum Publishing, 2024). Pineda was awarded the Pat Mutterer award at The Arizona Biennial, Tucson Museum of Art, 2023. Her work received winner and honorable mentions in the 18thJulia Margaret Cameron Awards (JMCA) and honorable mentions in the 20th JMCAs. In 2022 her portfolio was named Outstanding Work by juror Christopher James for the Denis Roussel Award. Her project, Maíz, was selected as Center’s 2023 Personal Award Recipient by juror Amanda Hajjar and was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Jay and Susie Tyrrell Excellence in Works By Hand Award (visitcenter.org). Most recently she was one of two artists awarded the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award, 2024, by Phoenix Art Museum.
In addition to her studio practice, Pineda teaches photography as a faculty associate and works as Graduate Program Manager to support Art History, Art Education students at Arizona State University. Elizabeth resides in Surprise, Arizona. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family.
Pineda holds an MFA from Arizona State University and is a member of Undoc + Collective.