Ellen Pil

°1982, lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.

Ellen Pil is fascinated by the position of man in times of far-reaching digitization, robotization and mass production. Humanity reproduces, manipulates and perfects in its quest for an ideal. Astonished by the possibilities we have created for ourselves to bend reality to our will, Pil wonders what the story of man still is in it and what place the individual has. In her artistic process she uses partly the same tools and strategies as professional image builders. From a digital archive and using graphic programs, she explores different scenarios by continuously sketching, adjusting, cutting and polishing shapes and images, as if in a digital setting that can be endlessly reconfigured. From that digital studio, some images make the leap to a — much slower and more thoughtful — analog process, where they are applied to canvas in layers of acrylic and airbrush paint. For Pil, the digital and analog process merge seamlessly, no matter how different they are. Her painted works clearly show their digital roots. The chosen materials and colors, the interaction between 2D and 3D, the gradients and shadows give a mechanical impression, as if a machine was involved. (Text by Tim Vanheers)