Michel François
Savon Femelle
1991
Offset print on 115gr Blueback paper
59,4 x 84,1 cm
Edition of 15 copies, signed & numbered by the artist
Out of stock
about this work
In his photography, Michel François captures fleeting moments, often focusing on the overlooked or the impermanent, encouraging viewers to see the everyday in a new light. By emphasizing the passing and the ephemeral, his photographs reinforce the idea that everything—whether an object, a moment, or an artwork—is in a constant state of change. Savon Femelle is a 1991 photograph of a hand gently stroking the inside of a soap sculpture. The sculpture is part of a pair, a male and female form, reflecting François’ ongoing exploration of dualities—hard and soft, presence and absence, permanence and decay.
This edition is the very same print you can see pasted in public space as part of our PLAKT series. We saved 15 pristine copies to present as a limited edition – signed and numbered by the artist.
about Michel François
Michel François is a conceptual artist and makes sculptures, videos, photographs, printed matter, paintings and installations. He claims no signature style but creates a web of shifting connections between his works and in each different exhibition. The titles of his solo exhibitions often point to his interest in contemporary reality, offices, domestic environments, surveillance, psychology and the police state. To cite just a few: State of Being, Urban Placarding, Expanded Bureau, Déjà vu, Theatre of Operations and Pieces of Evidence.
The meanings in his works accumulate over time and vary according to their disposition in space, or the context. In a manner similar to that of the Arte Povera artists, François uses a great economy of means to transform seemingly uncomplicated objects and materials, or traces of past events, into deeply resonant carriers of meaning. His work can be seen as an exploration of cause and effect, and the ways in which simple gestures can change the status of an object or have important consequences. A number of recent sculptural works, without immediately revealing their origins or the way they were made, invite the viewer to consider the degree to which the hand of the artist, or chance, played a role in their formation.
(Courtesy of Xavier Hufkens)
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