CELL101225, collage by Ilse Pierard

Ilse Pierard is a Belgian artist born in 1976. Through her work, she explores the point of convergence between matter and memory. Her paper compositions, often assembled from recycled materials and translucent layers, oscillate between fragility and strength. The cellular motif, recurrent in her work, emerges as an archetype—elementary, universal, evoking life, vulnerability, and resilience. The paper Ilse chooses is never neutral. It consists of old documents, yellowed or stained sheets. All bear the mark of a story: the story of time, touch, memory, and the ephemeral. This interplay between revelation and concealment invites the viewer to slow down and feel. As if an intimate resonance were awakened, transcending the individual to touch the universal.