Born in 1950 in the south of the Netherlands, Pii grew up in Tegelen, which was then a place where, besides brick burning, some metal working industry was settled. His fascination with metal as material dates from this period of life. The properties of metal, its strength and resistance, its stability – seeming to withstand the eternal circular course of grow and pass – together with its malleability captivated him. Stability and malleability – if you only know how to shape it – are the two poles of this raw material which can be given various colours by alloying.

And so the big hall in the industrial area of Tegelen – his studio – does not only look like a workshop of a metall working industry but like the workshop of an alchemist. Here he produces not only lamps, tables and silver accessories, which are sold all over the world, but also his free works.

Most of these free works are characterized by the analysis or discussion of metamorphosis and conversion – most easily and allegorical presented by the process of digestion. For Pii the stomach means a monster, living in the dark and eating colours.