Ben Elliot

My Little Friend

My Little Friend is a virtual character created by artist Ben Elliot. Agender, non-animal, nor human, its personality epitomises the cute and innovative aspects of the new generations and in general of a creative and forward-thinking audience.
Conceived as a long-term and multi-faceted art project, My Little Friend is developed as a smart and creative brand, with licencing and merchandises. The loveable and relatable character will be used throughout paintings, sculptures and various artworks using emerging technologies, as well as online and physical experiences, limited editions of apparel, homeware, toys, etc. The first implementation of My Little Friend involves the introduction of a face filter as well as several programs in virtual and augmented reality, for fans to be able to interact with their virtual friend.
The project explores the culture of digital pets and fictional characters such as Hello Kitty, Milk & Mocha, Tuzki, or Gudetama, that has been especially popular since the mid 2010’s. My Little Friend aims at connecting this trend to art, tech, A.I., smart entertainment and their futures.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot
My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend (meditating & swimming), 2024. Exhibition view, Art Meilun Museum, Changsha, China.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend, 2024. Exhibition view, Art Meilun Museum, Changsha, China.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend, 2021. Online virtual reality exhibition.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend, 2021. Online virtual reality exhibition.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot
My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot
My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot
My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot
My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend (In love) & (Crying), 2021. GIF. NFTs on Foundation.app

My Little Friend (On the phone), 2021. GIF.

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

My Little Friend (Sleeping), 2021. GIF. Exhibition view, Unit London

My Little Friend - © Ben Elliot

Character design: Silvia Casali
Filter development: @viv_galinari @mutantboard
AR exhibition development: @minsarstudio
Tiktok animation: @magic.mountain
GIFs animation: @wealthyrelative
Still images: @hardmetacore
Special thanks to Louise Briskmann, Kirsten Wang

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