* If you know of a colleague who does something extraordinary or interesting in his or her life outside the university, please send the information to Willie du Plessis at willie.duplessis@nwu.ac.za.
Art that speaks honestly
“I believe art is dishonest if it does not take power constructs into account; dishonest art is nothing more than kitsch,” he says. This is why Francois’ art is blatantly honest, often personal and tackles burning issues in modern-day society. It involves the blending of various elements of African and international visual languages in combination with design and illustration to speak to viewers about contemporary issues.
Francois says the term ‘mute speech’, which was popularised by the French philosopher Jacques Ranciére as la parole muette, is specifically relevant in the works he created for Sigspraak. The term, mute speech, refers to messages and stories that are not allowed to or cannot be communicated.
“With my work, I want viewers to reconsider the status quo notions of differences in people, which is especially relevant in the South African context. I want them to interpret messages that are not often said.”
His work aims to identify those elements that people of all cultures and races have in common, even within their differences. “Politics – I am not referring to party politics, but to power structures in society – and art cannot be completely detached from each other. Therefore my purpose is to open dialogue through my art, not by outlining the inherent politics, but by reviewing the spaces where different aspects of one’s own life unfold as opposed to those of one’s immediate ‘others’.”
From hobby to serious artist
Francois is a relatively new artist. He only started working professionally in 2013 after initially considering art as more of a hobby.
Francois says he found realistic art much too restrictive. “It leaves little space for the imagination.” This is why his art is a mixture of abstract and figuratively recognisable art. “If I draw an object, a hand or a person for example, the viewer will be able to recognise it for what it is even if it is not realistically drawn.”
Francois is an alumnus of the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus, where he studied art history and graphic design. The doting father and his wife, Izell, are looking forward to the birth of their second child later this year. He is currently busy with his doctoral studies in art history.
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