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About the artist: Belgian conceptual artist Michel François (b. 1956) has an infinitely changing style that relies on building abstract relationships between medium and context and exploring the limits of different materials. François’ practice is fundamentally multimedia – ranging from video and photography to painting and sculpture – allowing him to forge tensions and connections through the manipulation of media and to exploit the plasticity of contextual perception and the viewer’s understanding. At the heart of François’ creative pursuit is a continuous navigation of the interactions that occur between viewer, space and object, and the ways in which these different relationships can be transformed through measured interventions. François had this first solo exhibition in 1980, and over his career spanning over four decades has been the subject of dozens of solo exhibitions, including at the institutional level with exhibitions at the Center George Pompidou, Paris; SMAK, Gent; and the Minsheng Museum, Shanghai, among others.
What do you want to know: Following Michel François’ “Contre nature” exhibition at Bozar, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, in which works dating back 40 years operated in tandem with the exhibition to create a “total work”, the Alfonso Gallery Artiaco, Naples, has opened a personal exhibition of the artist’s work. Presented until May 13, 2023, François’ eponymous exhibition showcases the expected diversity of the recognizable mediums of his practice. Comprising works on paper, sculptures in metal and compositions of found objects, Alfonso Artiaco’s exhibition follows a similar logic to the Bozar exhibition in that it brings together significant works from François’ oeuvre which are reconsidered in the context of the gallery site inside the Piazzetta Nilo and resulting in a new “whole”. The collocation of works from different periods of François’ career and the halls of the gallery offer new insight not only into the works themselves, but into the nature of the audience itself.
Why we love it: In the historic rooms of Piazzetta Nilo, François’ contemporary conceptual works are enhanced by their juxtaposition with their context, inherently inviting the viewer to reflectively consider the placement of the works as well as their own presence in the exhibition. Reminiscent of movements such as Arte Povera or 1960s Minimalism, François’ fascination with the subtle nuances that can be achieved with his medium is evident. In works such as Endless drawing (2023), the games between line and perception are variable depending on the point of view, the metal strips being placed perpendicular to the wall. In the same way, doodle (2010) – a work of more than a decade before Endless drawing—plays with the idea of drawing, line and space. Seen from the front, it could almost be mistaken for a scribble drawn directly on the gallery wall, but from the side the spatial play becomes central to the work. François’ preoccupation with line and its ability to be a driving force of optical movement is perhaps most apparent in his works on paper included in the exhibition. A series of serigraphs on paper and a series of graphite on paper show an experimental pursuit of the search for movement through various approaches to the quality and character of line, creating either soft vibrational waves or distinct geometric shapes that seem merge into themselves.
See the interior of the exhibition and the works presented below.
Installation view of “Michel François” (2023). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
Michael Francois, blue cinder block (2023). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
Michael Francois, A lost breath (black line and red line) (2018). Photo: Grafiluce. Alphonse Artiaco, Napoli.
Michael Francois, Endless drawing (unframed) (2023). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
Michel François, Untitled (2023). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
Michael Francois, doodle (2010). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco, Naples.
Installation view of “Michel François” (2023). Photo: Grafiluce. Courtesy of Alfonso Artiaco.
“Michael Francoisis on view at Alfonso Artiaco, Naples, until May 13, 2023.
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