The Cathedral
I lift my eyes with quiet wonder,
the air itself a breath of freedom.
Here my hand finds its truest lines—
a hymn to the place
where my spirit feels most alive.
elles

“The Cathedral,” or the large space in the warehouse, was once used to bend the large iron plates used for the hulls of the ships built here. The enormous number of profiles is arranged repetitively throughout the space. I find the different rhythms I see in it exciting, and the perspective makes the space seem to move toward you or away from you. Elles is a huge techno music fan, and she senses that music in the architecture.

Technique: pencil and India ink on acid-free paper
Year: 2020
Size: h x b = 125,5 x 125,5 cm /49,4 x 49,4 inch
Signed: hand signed
Framed: Framed at NDSM
Edition: 1
Included: a certificate of authenticity

Technique: pencil & ink
Year: 2015
Size: h x b =  42 x 161 cm / 16,5 x 63,3 inch
Signed: hand signed
Support: acid-free paper
Framed by Profilex
Edition: 1
Included: a certificate of authenticity

This artwork is exhibited at WIHH Gallery
(https://www.whatishappeninghere.com)

In this drawing, you are taken to the wonderful world behind the walls of the East Wing using the isometric method. You enter a world without vanishing points and without up or down, as if you are floating through the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland.

During this journey, you will encounter all kinds of elements and art objects that reveal a glimpse of what is happening behind the canvas (the white wall) in the creative studios.

It will once again be a positive work that invites the visitor to see the environment in new dimensions.
A world without walls or fences is a world I would like to live in.

Duration of making of: 400 hours
Size: h x b = 88 x 41 cm / 34,6 x 16,1 inch
Material: pencil on paper

Anyone familiar with Elles’ work knows that she is tirelessly fascinated by the work of Vincent van Gogh, mainly because of his unparalleled sense of tone and colour.
Van Gogh collected many Japanese woodblock prints during his life and this motivated Elles to create a work inspired by the Japanese prints.

In her own characteristic and enchanting style, Elles creates an artistic impression of reality, using cinematographic aspects to experience the Eye Filmmuseum in a new way.

At the bottom left of the drawing, 7 figures are sitting together on a bench. The 7 figures were drawn from 3 models. As often happened in early Japanese woodcuts, the patterns on the clothing of the figures in Elles’ artwork symbolize the themes within the design and refer to film, water and Amsterdam.

On the far left you see Lulu, with a pattern on her jacket that can be found in Dutch folklore. In addition, anchors can be recognized on Casper’s jacket. In a city like Amsterdam, which is always on the move, the anchor offers a sense of connection, security, stability and safety.
The 3 St. Andrew’s crosses from the coat of arms of Amsterdam are also featured on Mette’s trousers. On her sweater you see the P for Patta, a very popular Amsterdam clothing brand that serves as a picture of the times. The Daily Paper logo has been incorporated into a pattern for Casper’s jacket again. On the right, Mette is wearing a cap with a typical Dutch sailing boat. On the jacket you will find a pattern of clipboards that refers to the film. The dots on her trousers are inspired by the logo of The New Originals. To the right of Mette you will find Lulu again with a sweater full of Dutch tulips and a jacket with Hollandse Nieuwe (herring). Finally, we see Casper on the far right with both trousers and a jacket that refer to the film role.

Via the youth on the bench, your eye is led to the seagull. The seagull symbolises freedom, but also carefree, hope and love.
The wing of the seagull moves in a flowing movement with the interplay of lines of Amsterdam Central Station. These lines are again an impetus to the clouds that as a group refer to the All Saints’ Flood in 1170 AD that gave the Netherlands its shape and Amsterdam a direct connection to the sea.
The spiral takes you to the top left, where special rays of light from the sun shine through the clouds.

Via the compositional vortex you arrive at the Clipper Amsterdam; a popular ship, built on behalf of the Municipality of Amsterdam, among others, that always decorates Het Ij and the Eye Film Museum fantastically beautifully during Sail Amsterdam. The IJ, which literally means ‘water’, can no longer exist in Amsterdam without the ferry, perhaps one of the most literal current symbols of connection in Amsterdam.

This artwork is exhibited at WIHH Gallery
(https://www.whatishappeninghere.com)

Size original artwork including frame: h x b = 66,5 x 86 cm / 26,2 x 33,9 inch
Material: pencil, ink, colorproof markers (Faber Castell)

If this is a bit out of your budget, you might like: https://www.elles.nl/product/print-eye-film-museum/