Francis Alÿs

4 articles

Born on 22 August 1959 in Antwerp, Belgium, Francis Alÿs is an artist whose works cut across many disciplines, including social action, architecture, photography, contemporary conceptualism, and art. He is currently based in Mexico, where he relocated to become an artist, leaving his first calling as an architect in Belgium.

In his practice as an interdisciplinary artist, Alÿs explores the monotony of day-to-day life, as well as geopolitical and anthropological systems. He often pushes the artmaking’s boundaries with works that include public actions, performances, drawings, paintings, videos, and installations.

Some have been featured at institutions like the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Hammer Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tate and the Museum of Modern Art.

Why did Francis Alÿs push a block of ice for 9 hours?

Francis Alÿs is known for using poetic and metaphorical techniques to highlight the political and social realities of his city. Often, the issues he addresses range from national border politics to globalism and areas of conflict in his community and the effects of modernism. As one of the most well-known conceptual artists from Mexico, his

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Our 2018 Art Basel Unlimited top 10

“In 2010, Bangkok erupted in violence with protesters from both the Left and Right, battling the military in the streets. The main weapon on both sides was the tire, both as a barricade and as improvised Molotov cocktail, rolled instead of thrown. In 2015, Rirkrit Tiravanija created an installation, untitled 2015 (bangkok boogie woogie, no.

Our 2018 Art Basel Unlimited top 10 Read More

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