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Wikipedia entry
Introduction
Francis Alÿs (born 1959, Antwerp) is a Belgian-born, Mexico-based artist. His work emerges in the interdisciplinary space of art, architecture, and social practice. In 1986, Alÿs left behind his profession as an architect and relocated to Mexico City, where he lives and works. He has created a diverse body of artwork and performance art that explores urban tensions and geopolitics. Employing a broad range of media, from painting to performance, his works examine the tension between politics and poetics, individual action and impotence. Alÿs commonly enacts paseos—walks that resist the subjection of common space. Cyclical repetition and mechanics of progression and regression also inform the character of Alÿs' actions and mythology—Alÿs contrasts geological and technological time through land-based and social practice that examine individual memory and collective mythology. Alÿs frequently engages rumor as a central tool in his practice, disseminating ephemeral, practice-based works through word-of-mouth and storytelling. He has documented children's games for decades.
Wikidata
Q558288
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Getty record
Introduction
Belgian artist based in Mexico City works within an interdisciplinary practice encompassing a variety of media and actions. He studied architecture formally.
Nationalities
Belgian, Central American, Mexican, South American
Gender
Male
Roles
Artist, Cinematographer, Conceptual Artist, Multimedia Artist, Painter, Performance Artist, Photographer, Video Artist
Names
Francis Alÿs, Francis Alys, Francis De Smedt
Ulan
500116308
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Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License

Works

200 works online

Exhibitions

View all 15 exhibitions

Publications

  • Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception By Mark Godfrey and Klaus Biesenbach, 2011 Exhibition catalogue, Paperback, 200 pages
  • Francis Alÿs Postcards Francis Alÿs, 2011 Exhibition catalogue, Postcard Box, 30 pages
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