François, Michel

1956 Sint-Truiden (Belgium). Lives in Brussels.

Michel François is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses all sorts of materials and methods, combining man-made and natural objects, and photographs as well as installations. His aim is to appeal to all the senses. François’ photographs and videos are about ‘living’, and how to give form to that ‘living’. Perhaps he is a sculptor after all, in that his work oscillates between the temptation to enlarge or fill in voids – and that to hollow out or fill up volumes. “Art, in any case, is life that one sculpts.” (François)

Educated at École de Recherche Graphique (ERG), Michel François doesn’t like to limit himself to one discipline. He uses all sorts of materials and a range of methods, combining industrial and natural objects, photographs and installations, the result of which appeals to all of our senses. François analyses and refers to everyday customs and habits in  an associative way without detracting from their general validity. It would perhaps be simpler to say that Michel François is a sculptor. His work is caught between the temptation to enlarge or fill in voids and the desire to hollow out or fill out volumes. As a video-maker each one of his sequences forms a transition in relation to the next sequence, and his whole output is based on his skill at isolating interludes, minor occurrences and unsuccessful, revived acts from that real time which principally consists of spare time.

Central to Michel François’ work is the personal perception of reality although he himself remains strikingly in the background, anonymously documenting the events taking place. This position can easily be seen in his videos, each one being a record of private or public life with its own particular speed and rhythm. Whether he is filming a pair of feet running on treadmills, a wooden chair endlessly falling down stairs and shattering into pieces, or falling mikado sticks, the objects depicted in quick succession do not represent commentaries, reactions or answers to political, cultural or economic questions. Being non-autobiographical in nature, neither posed nor staged, they explore cause and effect. They are experimental in nature and immediately explicable.

François intends to create a space of reflection or of self-awareness, by showing normal human occurrences as well as recognisable processes and objects. Yet at the same time he reverses things, or rather, turns them inside out. François makes inventories of the world around us by using antitheses: formal opposites such as the sculptural extremes of concave-convex and empty-full; and such opposites as freedom and imprisonment, poor and rich. Work versus free time is one of the contrasts that determine our day to day life. In his photographs and video-works Michel François does not construct his work within an autonomous, digital world but finds his subjects in the real — almost by definition anti-heroic — ordinary world. At the same time, this living context is the place in which his art is displayed. François’ images possess nothing of the unique, isolated object. His view is not attached to what has been canonised but to the liveliness of everyday life. What is registered by Michel François is the unexpected in the familiar, and the intense in the inconstant. He seems to have the quality to let the things happening around him lead a life of their own, filtering the world with respect to content and form, however, without distancing himself from his subject. François’ photographs and videos reveal themselves as paintings with restrained or openly expressed sculptural qualities. No matter how they are defined, they are qualities of his physical and emotional life that confront those of the spectator’s physical and emotional life.

Solo exhibitions:
1980: ’Appartement à louer’, Galerie ERG, Brussels (B) 1983: ’Araignées’, Fondation pour la Tapisserie, Tournai (B) 1984: Galerie Zeno X, Antwerpen (B) 1986: Galerie Zeno X, Antwerpen (B) 1987: Galeria La Planita, Roma (I) 1988: Vereniging voor het Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Ghent (B) - Galerie Christine & Isy Brachot, Brussels (B) - Museum van Moderne Kunst, Brussels (B) 1989: Galerie Camille von Scholz, Brussels (B) - + Babis Kandilaptis, Ann Veronica Janssens & Johan Muyle: ’Het latijnse Noorden in vier scenes’, Espace 251 Nord/Provinciaal Museum, Hasselt (B) 1990: Galerie Michel Vidal, Paris (F) - Galerie voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels (B) 1991: Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam (NL) - Vereniging voor het Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Ghent (B) 1992: ’Michel François’, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten/Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (B) 1993: Ulrich Gebauer Gallery, Berlin (D) 1994: Curt Marcus Gallery, New York (USA) 1995: Galerie Marie-Puck Broodthaers, Brussels (B) - Galerie Ursula Walbröl, Düsseldorf (D) - Galerie Jennifer Flay, Paris (F - Ulrich Gebauer Gallery, Berlin (D) 1996: ’Wordt Vervolgd’, Galerie Lumen Travo, Amsterdam (NL) - ’Le monde et les bras. Une résidence terrestre’, Frac Limousin, Limoges (F) - Curt Marcus Gallery, New York (USA) - EDA, Dunkerque (F) 1997: ’Engrais, Orties et Pissenlits’, Witte de With, Rotterdam (NL) - ’Engrais, Orties et Pissenlits’, Tecla Sala, Barcelona (E) - Cimaise et Portique, Albi (F) - TBS De Kijvelanden, Rotterdam (NL) 1998: ’A flux tendu’, Moulin albigeois, Cimaise et Portique, Albi (F) - ’Bureau Augmenté’, Ulrich Gebauer Gallery, Berlin (D) - Hyperspace, Brussels (B) 1999: ’Bureau Augmenté’, Galerie Jennifer Flay, Paris (F) - ’L’Exposition, la Boutique et le Bureau’, Palais des Beaux Arts, Charleroi (B) - ARCO, Madrid (E) - ’Horror vacui’ (with Ann Veronica Janssens), Belgian Pavillion, 48th Venice Biennial, Venice (I) - ’Un centre culturel mit sens dessus dessous’, Cultureel Centrum Sint-Truiden (B) 2000: ’La plante est en nous’, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern (CH) - ’La plante en nous’, Haus der Kunst München, München (D) 2001: ’Autoportrait contre nature’, argos, Brussels (B) - ’Psycho jardin’, Miro Foundation, Barcelona (E) - ’Ensemble’ (with Meshac Gaba), Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam (NL) - ’Sur-le-champ’, Le Blac, Brussels (B) - ’Michel François’, Curt Marcus Gallery, New York (USA) - ’La plante est en nous’, Haus der Kunst, Munich (D) 2002: ’Salon intermédiaire’, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (F) - 'Autoportrait contre nature’, Galerie Carlier-Gebauer, Berlin (D) - ’680.000 Bailleurs’, Centre de la Photographie, Geneva (CH) - ’Michel François Photoshow’, Ursula Bickle Foundation, Kraichtal (D) - ’Senzatitolo’ (with François Curlet), Carlier-Gebauer Gallery, Berlin (D) - ’Editions, rétrospective’, Librairie Florence Loewy, Paris (F) - ’Michel François. Dessins-Multiples’, CIAP, Hasselt (B) 2003: ’Michel François’, Westfälischer Kunstverein, Munich (D) - ’Hallu’, Lumen Travo, Amsterdam (NL) - ’Michel François’, Espace VOX, Montreal (CDN) - ’Déjà vu’, CCA Kitakyushu (JAP) 2004: Art Unlimited, Basel Art Fair (CH) - ’Déjà-vu’, De Pont stichting voor hedendaagse kunst, Tilburg (NL) - Domaine de Kerguéhennec, Bignan (F) - Villa delle Rose, Bologna (I) - ’Théâtre des opérations’, Art Pace Foundation, San Antonio, Texas (USA) - ’Théâtre des opérations’, Centre Photographique d’Ile-de-France, Pontault-Combault (F) - ’Mini expo’, Lycée B Vian, Coudekerque (F) - ’Déjà vu’, Galerie Carlier-Gebauer, Berlin (D) 2005: ’Théâtre des opérations’, Frac Haute-Normandie (avec Richard Venlet) (F) - ’Théâtre des opérations’, Frac Aquitaine (avec Richard Venlet) (F) - ’Théâtre des opérations’, Maison de la culture d’Amiens (avec Emilio Lopez-Menchero) (F) - '35 posters on display’, CC Strombeek (with Richard Venlet) (B) - ’M.François’, Galérie Xavier Hufkens (with Richard Venlet), Brussels (B) 2006: ’Sculpture show’, Carlier Gebauer, Berlin (D) - ’Theater of operations’, Bortolami Dayan, New York (USA) - ’Mur à l’emporte-pièce’, project ‘Blinde Muren’, Ghent (B) - ’Instant Gratification’, Xavier Hufkens – Carlier-Gebauer, Art Unlimited, Basel (CH) 2007: ’Editions and Multiples 1979-2007’, Lumen Travo Gallery, Amsterdam (NL) 2008: ’Domestic’, Gallery Thomas Dane, London (GB) - ’Domestic’, MC Project, Los Angeles (USA) - Gallery Bortolami, New-York (USA) - GOGOLF (after Tron), curated by François Curlet, Galerie de l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Tourcoing (F) - ’40 Posters on Display. 1994 – 2008’ (with Richard Venlet) Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, (P) - Golden Cage, Xavier Hufkens – Carlier-Gebauer, Art Unlimited, Basel (CH) 2009: S.A.L.E.S. Gallery,Rome(IT) - Galérie Xavier Hufkens, Brussels (B) - ’Hespérides I’, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne (CH) - ’Michel François’, S.M.A.K., Ghent (B).

Group exhibitions:
2009: Argos - Open Lounge, Villa Merkel & Bahnwärterhaus, Esslingen (DE) 2008: «Sonsbeek 2008 – Grandeur», Aarnhem (NL). ’L’argent’, Le Plateau, Paris (FR). 2007: ’Passage du Temps – Collection François Pinault’, Tri Postal, Lille (FR). ’La Ricarda’, «Studio», Kunstenfestival des Arts, Bruxelles (BE). «La Ricarda», Laboratoire Artistique Internationnal du Tarn, Albi (FR). 2006: ’Satellite of Love’, Witte de With, Rotterdam (NL) - ’Test Transmissions’, CCA, Glasgow (UK) 2005: ’Open ended’, Gallery Thomas Dane, London (GB) - ’Faire Signe’, la Criée, centre d’art contemporain, Rennes (F) - ’Le jeune, le vivace, le bel aujourd’hui (épisode 3/3)’, Maison Populaire de Montreuil (F) - ’a guest+a host =a ghost’, Hedge House, Limburg, (NL) - ’Œuvres politiques et politiques de l’œuvre’,Institut Français de Casablanca, Maroc - ’Le jeune, le vivace, le bel aujourd’hui (épisode 2/3)’, Maison Populaire de Montreuil (F) - ’Voisins officiels’, Musée d’Art Moderne de Lille (F) - ’La Belgique Visionnaire/Visionair België’ (curated by Harald Szeeman), BOZAR, Brussels (B) - ’Le jeune, le vivace et le bel aujourd’hui (épisode 1/3)’, Maison Populaire de Montreuil (F) 2004: ’Aan de hand van Gagarin, collectiepresentatie X’, Muhka, Antwerpen, (B) - ’Ralentir vite’, le Plateau/Frac Ile de France, Paris (F) - ’Figures de l’acteur’, Jeu de Paume, hôtel de Sully, Paris (F) - ’As A house that moves’, Fri-Art, Fribourg, (CH) - ’Ipermercati dell’arte’, Santa Maria della Scala, Siena, (I) (Cat) - ’L’ombre du temps’, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris (F) - ’Éblouissement’, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris (F) - ’Les Afriques’, Espace 251 Nord, Lille (F) ’Amicalement vôtre’, Tourcoing, (F) - ’You said erotic’, Marijke Schreurs, Brussels (B) - ’Storage/l’entrepôt du musée’, Collection de la province du Hainaut, Charleroi (B) 2003: ’Outlook, International Art Exhibition’, Athens (GR) - ’Wiels!’, Centre des Arts Contemporains, Brussels (B) - ’Storage and display’, Programa Art Center, Mexico City (MEX) - ’Coconutour’, CRAC, Sète (F) - ’Tattoo’, Artwalk, Amsterdam (NL) - ’Stop & Go’, FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunkerque (F) - ’Kuntsammiung IKOB’, Eupen (B) 2002: ’Vivement 2002’, Mamco, Geneva (CH) - ’Recent Video from Belgium’, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (USA) - ’Sunday Afternoon’, 303 Gallery, New York (USA) - ’L’herbier et les nuages’, MAC’s, Grand-Hornu (B) - ’Octopus’, Brugge 2002, Bruges (B) - ’Self/in material conscience’, Fondazione Sandretto re Rebaudengo, Torino (I) 2001: ’Azerty’, Centre Pompidou, Paris (F) - ’Soyez Réalistes, Demandez l’Impossible’, Galerie Jennifer Flay, Paris (F) - Biennale de Venezia, Venice (I) 2000: Museum of Installation, London (UK) - ’Pièces à conviction’, Espace 251 Nord, Liège (B) - ’Oeuvres de tous poils’, Galerie Papillon, Paris (F) - ’Soldes Monstres’, Galerie Aline Vidai, Paris (F) - ’Body Beautiful’, Galerie Jennifer Flay, Paris (F) 1999: Architecture Biennial, Thalia Sali, Graz (A) - ’Homepiss’, Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen (DK) - ’Held and let go’, CACC, Oakiand (USA) - Le Botanique, Brussels (B) - Musée d’Art Moderne, Liège (B) - Sala Tecla, Barcelona (E) - ’Freizeit und Uberleben’, Gallery im Taxispalais, Innsbruck (A) - ’Smallstuff’, Klagsburn Gallery, New York (USA)