François Bel, b. 1977
France
François Bel is a French multidisciplinary artist utilising various art forms, from paintings to sculptures and installations. His art is as eclectic as his inspirations; Bel is influenced by Street Art, from which he borrows its system of repetition and variation. He is also interested in “New Realism” movements, which particularly appeal to him, as do Dada and Pop Art, for the way they subvert daily objects in order to criticize today's consumer society, like Duchamp's ready-mades.
Every medium that François Bel works in, serves an approach that is both artistic and philosophical in nature. His series of small “Big Bangs” set in synthetic acrylic, as though frozen in the explosion's ultimate moment of grace, make us reflect on passing time which is frittered away and undeniably survives us.
In a society where everything happens increasingly quickly and mankind controls a great many things, François Bel crystallises every person's dream by stopping time for an instant in his works. A mixture of frustration and fascination, his sculptures mirror our civilization, anger and rebellion, imprisoned and confined in economic, cultural, social and political contexts.
François Bel has exhibited in France, Monaco, Spain, Corea, The USA and Belgium, and for the first time now in Singapore as well. His works are in numerous private collections internationally.