Benjamin Francis (b. 1996, SR & NL) graduated from the Fine Arts programme at ArtEZ BEAR, University of the Arts with Base for Experiment, Art, and Research, in Arnhem in 2020. As a multidisciplinary artist, Francis combines installative object-based work with experimental and participatory performances. Within his practice, he reflects on his lived experience of being corrected for spelling mistakes, due to dyslexia. These dissonances or errors are carefully corrected in our current-day society, as anything outside the norm is deemed unproductive and therefore excluded.
Both in his performances and object-based works, the audience is placed in unexpected situations, thus becoming a part of the artwork. Through this interactive process, Francis aims to challenge the dichotomy between ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ and undermine dominant systems of knowledge. As a result, he seeks to expose the hidden dynamics of power structures. Key questions within his practice consider what such systems are rooted in and who is in the position to dictate them. As such, the recurring themes in Francis’ work include dirt, cleanliness, pedagogy, discipline, authority, and power relations.
Francis often starts from ‘the other’ — (marginalized) bodies that are more heavily subjected to the normative workings of society. He draws from his own experience of being constantly corrected which created a tense relationship with authority figures, such as teachers. The tension between the normative society and his position as a queer person of color is an underlying tendency that intensifies this experience. The ‘cleaning up’ of mistakes, decay, and the dissection of something (both physically and verbally) is — in Francis’ view — what art is fundamentally about.
Both in his performances and object-based works, the audience is placed in unexpected situations, thus becoming a part of the artwork. Through this interactive process, Francis aims to challenge the dichotomy between ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ and undermine dominant systems of knowledge. As a result, he seeks to expose the hidden dynamics of power structures. Key questions within his practice consider what such systems are rooted in and who is in the position to dictate them. As such, the recurring themes in Francis’ work include dirt, cleanliness, pedagogy, discipline, authority, and power relations.
Francis often starts from ‘the other’ — (marginalized) bodies that are more heavily subjected to the normative workings of society. He draws from his own experience of being constantly corrected which created a tense relationship with authority figures, such as teachers. The tension between the normative society and his position as a queer person of color is an underlying tendency that intensifies this experience. The ‘cleaning up’ of mistakes, decay, and the dissection of something (both physically and verbally) is — in Francis’ view — what art is fundamentally about.