Biography

Pili Duncan was born in Dublin and graduated from the National College of Art & Design, with a First Class Honours Degree in Visual Communications. She has a Design for Print qualification from the City & Guilds of London. She was awarded a Scholarship to the Academy of Art College, San Francisco, USA, by the Scholarship Exchange Board.

Pili worked with Harry Hess, former UPA animator on his film ‘Pinpoint, The Private Eye’, which was funded by RTÉ. She also worked as an intern in the Creative Department at RTÉ. Subsequently, she worked at Sullivan Bluth Animation and as a Graphic Designer at Words & Pictures which was part of the Oglivy & Mather Group in Dublin. She spent nine years as an Art Director at Arks Advertising Dublin, where she worked for clients which included Guinness, Colgate, Nissan, Heinz, Iarnród Éireann and the Educational Building Society. The position of Art Director, afforded her the opportunity to realise concepts and designs through disciplines such as, Photography, Illustration, Film, Animation and Print and allowed her to work with leading practitioners in these areas. She was awarded an ICAD Bronze Award for Art Direction on a series of Press Advertisements for Nissan.

Pili taught Graphic Design for nine years at the National College of Art and Design on the CEAD programme. She is currently a teacher of design on the prestigious Animation course at Ballyfermot College. Since 1996, she has been part of the teaching team which taught many award-winning animation graduates. In June 2023, she undertook a Teachers’ Erasmus at the Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht, The Netherlands.

She has completed her first Children’s Picture Book, ‘An Eggstraordinary Tale’ - for which she is currently seeking a publisher.

Exhibitions

2003 ‘Radiance” photography, used as backdrop for Oncology Conference at Barretstown Castle, Co.Kildare.

2004 ‘Papillon’ paper sculpture. Sculpture in Context, National Botanic Gardens and Farmleigh, Phoenix Park. Dublin.

2005 ‘Al Fresco’ photography, photoshop & découpage. Sculpture in Context, National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2006 ‘Ode to the Great Irish Famine’ sculpture incorporating original Carrickmacross lace. Lace designed and made by the artist. Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2007 ‘Al Fresco’ photography, photoshop & découpage. Bloom Garden Festival, Phoenix Park, Dublin.

2008 ‘Reduce CO2 Emissions’ & ‘SOS’ grass sculptures. Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2008 ‘Santa María’ Watercolour. Concurso de Pintura, Centro Cultural, Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, Spain.

2009 ‘Washing Line’, Environmental Sculpture. Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2010 ‘Easter Lilies’ wall hanging/rug, gun tufted in Irish wool. Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2011 ‘Easter Lilies’ wall hanging/rug, gun tufted in Irish wool. Ballintubbert House, Athy, Co. Laois.

2011 ‘Rana Temporaria’ ceramics. Sculpture in Context National Botanic Gardens, Dublin.

2012 ‘Tulach a ‘tSolais’ oils. Royal Hibernian Academy, Ely Place Dublin. 182nd Exhibition

2015 Graphic Poster - ‘Español’ Lithography. Exhibition of Print work from NCAD’s Distillery Press at the National Print Museum, Dublin.

2017 ‘Snapchat’ photography on Hahnemuhle fine art paper. Royal Hibernian Academy, Ely Place Dublin. 187th Exhibition

2022 ‘Titan’ design, sponsored by PINNACLE was selected for the NORTHERN IRELAND HOSPICE’S Elmer’s Big Belfast Trail. This was a Wild in Art event across Northern Ireland in conjunction with Andersen Press and presenting partner Belfast City Council.

2022 Titan was used for the launch of Elmer’s Big Belfast Trail and exhibited outside the Titanic Museum, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, for the summer of 2022. It was exhibited at Antrim Castle Gardens before going back for a final farewell event at Belfast City Council’s beautiful building at 2 Royal Avenue.

2022 The Elmer Auction took place on October 5th at Crumlin Road Gaol, Attraction & Conference Centre, Belfast, in aid of the NORTHERN IRELAND HOSPICE and was hosted by Wilson’s Auctioneers, Belfast. Titan was purchased by PINNACLE and will be displayed at their Northern Ireland Offices at East Belfast.

2023 Bologna Children's Book Fair, Illustration exhibited at Virtual Illustrator's Wall.

2023 'Forget-Me-Not' painted sculpture design was selected for WHIZZ KIDZ' s Morph Epic Art Adventure London, in collaboration with AARDMAN and sponsored by the PEER GROUP and The BIRRANE FOUNDATION. Pili’s Morph design incorporated a Forget-Me-Not motif inspired by William Morris’s wallpaper and textile design. It featured in the Morph Epic Art Adventure Trail in London during the summer of 2023 and was displayed outside Southwark Cathedral opposite the River Thames at London Bridge.

2023 The 'Forget-Me-Not' Morph was bought prior to auction by the sponsors, The Birrane Foundation.

2024 Pinpoint - The Private Eye, an animated short will screened at Animation Dingle 2024 to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Pinpoint was produced and directed by Harry Hess and made by Pili Duncan, Nollaig Crombie, Yvonne Blackmore & Conrad Winterlich with students of the Visual Communications department at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin, in association with RTÉ.

2024. Poster Design - Terras Gauda - Francisco Mantecón, 16th International Biennial Poster Design Exhibition, - at the Maritime Station, Vigo, Galicia, Spain, May 24th to June 19th.

Childrens’s Book Illustration

2023 Children’s Picture Book - An Eggstraordinary Tale, currently seeking a publisher for my first children’s picture book