Elen was born and raised in Prague and studied art history in the Faculty of Arts at Charles University. History and theory of architecture became her specializations, and she was a co-author of an exhibition project mapping attempts to realize the idea of collective living in Czechoslovakia through 20th century. As a part of her PhD research, she lived for more than a year in Sao Paulo, Brazil, working with local architects.

The city of Prague fascinates Elen because of the tangibility of its history, which is sedimentated in buildings of all epochs, and for the rich culture taking place within its walls.