Eli Durst is an Austin-based photographer and 2025 Guggenheim Fellow whose practice examines the social structures, rituals, and group dynamics that shape identity within contemporary American life. Through carefully composed images of communities, institutions, and everyday gatherings, Durst transforms familiar scenes into moments of subtle tension, revealing the invisible systems that influence belonging, behavior, and self-perception. His photographs explore the space between individual agency and collective expectation, drawing attention to the ways people seek meaning, connection, and identity within established social frameworks. Balancing documentary observation with conceptual inquiry, Durst’s work offers a nuanced reflection on the cultural forces that define how we understand ourselves and our place within larger communities.