Artist, Tim Ellis, in his studio.
Tim Ellis examines the process whereby art and craft objects from one culture come into close contact with another. This coming together leads to an exchange in value and a shift in meaning. Ellis conducts in-depth research into cultural products, how they are made, used and displayed. Sometimes using found objects and other times abstracting from pre-existing designs, Ellis transforms his works into totemic sculptures and paintings. The material decisions suggest a utility beyond that of their original function.
Ellis intuitively responds to the displaced and forgotten imagery and materials: adding, adapting, and abstracting the information in order to develop a series of responses that suggest the appearance of another culture or alternative society. They remain unspecific, however, leaving the viewer to determine their origin.
Ellis graduated from The Royal Academy Schools, London, in 2009. He has exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions at Whitechapel Gallery, London; The Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland; One Art Space, NY; and FOLD Gallery, London (solo). He was featured in the book ‘100 Painters of Tomorrow’, Thames & Hudson and is in collections including Saatchi Collection, Glenfiddich Collection, and Swiss Life. Ellis’s work is part of various public and private collections in Europe, Asia and United States.