Michel François

Michel François challenges reality, questioning it and continually revitalizing its connection with art. He transforms simple objects and materials into carriers of meaning. Deeply connected to life in all its forms, François collects objects and materials, fascinated by their signs of life. His work shifts between image and sculpture, two- and three-dimensionality.

In his studio, everyday objects and gestures are rearranged to regain meaning. Recycling is central to his practice, with most of his works constantly undergoing transformation. Time, coincidence, and the artistic gesture are equally important, often seeing himself as an alchemist or apprentice sorcerer, observing the changes he sets in motion.

For his contribution to RHIZOMA 2025, artist Michel François conceived a new, site-specific work within the space of the St Willibrordus Church in Kasterlee. His ever-evolving installation took the form of a towering stack of paper, an open book in a state of perpetual transformation. Upon this fragile surface, ink drips continuously, tracing its slow descent like an unceasing act of inscription. Each drop wounds the paper, marking its delicate skin with an imprint of time and repetition. Gradually, the accumulation of ink eats through the layers, carving a hole in the very heart of the stack.

Within the ecclesiastical setting, the paper recalls the Holy Book or Bible, while the ink evokes blood – a motif deeply ingrained in Christian iconography, alluding to the wounds of Christ and the sacred sacrifice. And yet this act of dripping ink also resonates with another layer of meaning: a tribute to MASEREEL, where ink is the medium of creation, an essential element of printmaking. Here, François’s installation becomes a machine, a self-sustaining mechanism generating its own imagery. As the ink settles and dries, it leaves behind traces, a drawing in constant flux.

If one were to remove these ink-stained sheets and allow them to dry, they would each stand as independent works of art. Thus, the installation is both a process and a production site, a conceptual showroom where creation is ongoing, unfolding in real time before the viewer’s eyes.

Piece of Evidence (Book Machine) (2025)
Installation with ink, paper, metal
100 x 100 x 220 cm