Exhibitions
SASKIA FERNANDO GALLERY
May 05 - Jun 05, 2022
All images courtesy of Saskia Fernando Gallery
Fabienne Francotte's work looks at what remains in the aftermath of trauma, abuse and migratory displacement. In Nature Morte, she situates the human body as the site of these afflictions. Working with abuse victims, Fabienne created this collection over several years, often informed by her creative workshops. These drawing projects took place in circumstances ranging from mental hospitals and children's development centres in Sri Lanka to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and troubled youth in Belgium. Nature Morte questions how we, as a society, speak about invisible wounds, hidden traumas and pervasive power structures in our communities.
The Invisible Worlds 01, 2022, Mixed Media on Cloth, 44cm x 31cm
The Fragmented Body 1, 2022,Mixed Media on Cardboard, 84 cm x 55 cm
Fabienne Francotte
Photo Credit for Artist Photo - Nisal Baduge
Fabienne was born in Belgium and moved to Sri Lanka in 2016. She began her artistic practice with a course in calligraphy at Maison du Livre in Brussels, which is a technique that is still evident in much of her work. Once she moved to Sri Lanka, she began engaging and communicating conflicting issues in Sri Lanka today: school and education, dreams and weddings, sex and business, silence and fear, courage and dedication, as well as religion and tolerance. Her works are often surveys of her surroundings and environment; juxtapositions of emotional exchanges and simple observations. Her works have been extensively exhibited in Europe. Her first solo exhibition in Sri Lanka was 'It's Like Someone Took My Soul' which was held at Saskia Fernando Gallery and ‘Still Life | Nature Morte’ is her fourth solo exhibition with the gallery. Through her art, Fabienne becomes an unintentional conduit of the soul.
