Next exhibitions:
PARIS: "La lumière du féminin"
Bruxelles: au cœur des Marolles
MILAN : 100 Ways to Say Marilyn
BIOGRAPHY
Biography of Erika Cool
Erika Cool is a Belgian artist of Dutch origin. She has always been fascinated by colour, aesthetics and the world of art.
These elements and her studies in fashion design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht form the basis for the creation of her works of art. Her short career as a photographic model, model and actress also influences her artistic creations to this day.
Twenty years' experience in her lettering and advertising business, which she founded in 1982, have made her the artist she is today. Over the course of twenty years, she has taken part in various productions for brands such as L'Oréal, Moulinsart, the cover of the 'Tintin' exhibition in Tibet, Rosmarin, Marsupilami, Boule & Bill... She has used brushes, airbrushes, projectors, digital printers, cutting robots, etc.
to produce the graphics for her various projects. Existing techniques such as glazing are applied to the digital print, and she sometimes adds elements to it, giving surprising results. During this period, she made friends with Edmond Jamoulle, the last surviving film artist, who taught her a few painting principles.
I was already drawing on the school benches...
When my mother asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would answer: AN ARTIST!
And my mother would always reply that being an artist wasn't a real job!
I became a fashion designer anyway because for my mum, who was a simple seamstress, that was a profession.
Later, I became a photo model and actress, and I always painted or drew, giving my works to those who liked them. My mum had said it wasn't a profession, so I didn't feel legitimate.
Over the years, I sometimes painted sensitive subjects such as the Bataclan attack or, as if by premonition, the Covid virus, and also under the influence of anger or mockery.
All this often had sexual connotations, no doubt a remnant of my short career in erotica.
My mentors were undoubtedly Felix Labisse and Alain Aslan (for whom I posed in 1978).
In 2022, as a tribute to my friend Brigitte Lahaie, I created the actress's first “POP ART” self-portrait for her birthday.
Following this experience, at the request of Brigitte Lahaie's publisher, I undertook a complete series in her image, which I exhibited in Paris in May 2024 during the launch of her latest book: Lahaie par Brigitte.
Since then, I haven't stopped creating my glamorous POP-realist style.
My narrative approach and cultural references reinforce this style.
Hugo Tanghe (artist and gallery owner) describes it as: combining realism and pop brilliance, Erika Cool explores the light of emotions through iconic and expressive faces. Inspired by contemporary culture, fashion and music, she creates a bridge between timeless glamour and visual modernity.
‘I like to paint the inner light of women, that intensity that you don't always see but can feel.’ –
Erika Cool