Jef Roels’ practice involves installation, painting, image making, composing and writing. His work deals with questions of storytelling, fantasy and viewer participation. Through the combined use of text and image or text and object, Roels attempts to guide the viewer in an imagination-fulled dialogue.
His recent work researches the visual and narrative potential of mapping textures and sprites (computer-generated graphics) forgathered on the internet in texture folders of fifth generation 3D games like Super Mario 64 or Sonic Adventure.
Considering their digital nature, Roels questions the role and function of these textures as they are brought to a physical condition through UV printing. The textures usually serve as backdrops for game design, but become tangible fragments of a virtual environment, remnants of a storyline.

Guided by a text that fluctuates between script, poem and computing language, these textures serve as footing for one to construct an alternate play.