(b. 1978, Belgium)

KELL is the son of an engineer father and an artistic mother. From a young age, he felt a strong urge to create. He spent his childhood drawing, dreaming, and building with his father’s tools in the workshop, becoming an autodidact who transformed his sketches and ideas into tangible forms.

His inspiration arises from both nature and mechanics — an ongoing exploration of the dialogue between man-made and natural worlds. Fascinated by flight, he pursued a career as an airline pilot, believing that “aviation is both technicality and poetry, both functionality and aesthetics.”

KELL’s creative approach is versatile and pragmatic. He carefully selects his materials, working with paper, clay, expansion foam, wood, and metal. He often repurposes and combines elements from radio-controlled models, bicycles, antique clocks, and toys to bring his imaginative visions to life.

His work reflects the interplay between nature and mechanics, serving as a mirror to humanity and inviting viewers to reflect on our complex relationship with the environment — one often marked by absurdity and humor.

KELL also explores the duality of Homo Deus: the notion of humankind playing God, wielding technology and knowledge for both creation and destruction.

For instance, his sculptures Landfish and Turtus Volants express a critical awareness of species displaced from their natural habitats due to human activity — a poetic attempt at artistic preservation and protection.