Born in Warsaw, N.Y., she is the daughter of noted painter Bruce Kurland. Kurland graduated with a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1996 and received her MFA from Yale University in 1998, where she was influenced by her teachers Gregory Crewdson and Philip-Lorca diCorcia. Crewdson included her in the group show Another Girl, Another Planet in 1999, introducing her to a wider audience. Subsequent international solo shows cemented her growing reputation, as did the books Spirit West (2000) and Old Joy (2004).