Ellie Rees produces performance-based videos that use humor and irony to investigate what it means to be a woman in contemporary society. She concentrates on exaggerated portrayals of women in cinema and literature; particularly the inconsistency between liberated female roles and romantic views depicted in high and popular culture. The works are meticulously rehearsed, with a keen regard for formal considerations. Her aim is not to make documentation of a live event, but a precise performance to camera. Her work is often made using an uninterrupted ‘one-take’ method. She is interested in relying on rehearsal and practice, rather than technology and postproduction. In her most recent work, she uses found footage alongside the performance-based pieces, creating large scale, multi-channel installations.

Rees lives and works in London. She graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and Winchester School of Art. She is a lecturer at various colleges in the UK, including Central Saint Martins. She has exhibited internationally, including at Tate Modern, London; El Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Caracas; and The Neuberger Museum of Art, New York. She has been the recipient of various awards and fellowships from the Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Jerwood Foundation. Her work has been commissioned by English National Opera and the Almeida Theatre and she has held residencies in Europe and the USA. Her academic research has been published in the UK.