Elene Usdin

Born in Paris, Elene Usdin graduated in 1996 from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, specialising in graphic design and moving images. She began her career as a painter on Léos Carax’s film Pola X. Winner of the 2006 Prix Picto for Young Fashion Photography, she was briefly represented by the Esther Woerdehoff gallery. Éditions Contrejour published her first monograph in 2013. She has collaborated with the Compagnie Decouflé, the Lafayette Anticipations Foundation and the Opéra du Rhin. In 2021, Éditions Sarbacane published her first graphic novel, René.e aux bois dormants, which won the ACBD Critics’ Grand Prix and the Quebec Booksellers’ Prize. In 2025, the same publisher released Detroit Roma, co-written with Boni. This graphic novel went on to win the Prix des Inrockuptibles, the Elle Magazine Readers’ Grand Prix and the France TV-Villa Médicis Prize. In 2026, Elle exhibited her drawings at the Galerie Barbier in Paris, the Alliance in New York, and the Musée de Bastia.