<Anne Francey, But, Gouache on paper 8" x 8" 2016> from Small project
Q: I saw your works and your bio on your website. I realized
that you went to Tunisia to studying ceramics, even though you studied painting
and video art. I would like to ask you about what brought you there and why you
chose ceramics. I think the experience of learning ceramic is a strong
influence on your current work.
A: That's true. First of all, I have been Tunisia for a while
because I married someone who is from Tunisia. As you said, I studied painting,
drawing, and video art at an art school in Switzerland where I came from. When
I was in Tunisia, we stayed in a traditional house which had a courtyard with
traditional ceramic tiles with a geometric design that smaller shapes assemble
with larger shape. At that time, I focused on 'suitcase' paintings, which are
small enough to go into a suitcase and the small suitcase paintings got
inspired by the tiles. Not only the design of the tiles but the materials I
found affected my work. I used henna, hair, or spices from the old market and
sometimes I used dirt or send because I have been working with the idea of
geography. Due to the materials, I get a lot of texture on my work. That was
natural of continuation to get into ceramics besides, at that time, I desired
to explore something new. Eventually, I took some classes at Sidi El Kacem
college. But I have been most interested in terms of painting and treatment of
ceramics more than a three-dimensional effect.
Q: Could you explain how you used elements of traditional
North African Architecture on your current work? What was an agreement between
the idea of your work and the North African style?
A: That's a great question. I also have thought about the
corresponding with the idea, concept, and visual stimulation. What I always
look for is a question of the fact about uniqueness. I have two polarizing
elements in my mind. I do not let my work look like a machine. But, at the same time, I try to make a system
of my individuality to make it organized. We need to hold on to this notion
that we are one of a kind. I analyze and at the same time, I can be like an
explorer with more spontaneous action and gestures in my work. In terms of
Ceramics, I have an idea of something small repeated activity comes figures and
I call that twice fascinating. When I gave a system and yet also something goes
present in this type of art, present of geometry, arabesque, and lines. The
balance between straight lines and activated ability of the natural world, all
my artworks are there.
Q: You Frequently used many abstract patterns with geometric
shapes and silhouette of birds, insects with wings, and elephants on most of
your project. (Small, Birds and Geometry, Cariatide de Papier, etc.) Could you
explain what is their symbolic meaning in the piece?
A: How do these objects work with my work? The way I work is
very in an unconscious way of choosing forms, shapes, imagery, and things like
elephants, old plants, or birds. It is a metaphor for maybe my own life, what I
would like to express. Elephants, I work on them at a time when things are
difficult and then I also have birds that are supposed to cheer my task things
and go carrying on things. So, I have birds and elephants together to reflect
the idea of how to balance lightness and gravity. Whether there are ways to
figure things out in my life or when I start from personal circumstances, I
think of how could extend something little more universal away. For the
insects, I was interested in finding a way to transform calligraphy, to
pictograms and I realized using the shapes of insects that are always around in
my studio like bees is a beautiful way to transform the lines of writing into
painting. I do not have a deeper meaning
for insects but basically, I try to be attentive to what happens in the studio,
what comes through, or observation from my neighborhood. That's how it starts!
I put something on the wall, and I go to a corner and come up with a way of
composition for imagery.
Q: In the *Small project, why did you choose adverbs,
conjunctions, and prepositions as the titles of artworks? How did they connect
to the artworks with various color palettes and shapes?
A: For the adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions as the
title, I contained my thought about the differences between a level of
interpretation and a level of saying something. I entitled the adverbs,
conjunctions, and connecting words because that is what I wanted to show in the
Small project. Although the little fragments in each piece separate into
entities, they would get together and find a space where they can exist and
find a replacement of organic way little by little. I have considered how these
entities can connect each other and find a way to co-exist through these
connecting words (although, and, but, and etc.). The way talking about the
entities connect through similarity, and differences, from the distance.
*In SMALL, various elements create a sense of place by establishing subtle relationships with one another. http://annefrancey.com/#/smallwork/
<Anne Francey, Through, Gouache on paper 12' x
12" , 2016> from Small Project
Q: I think you have many projects related to making harmony by connecting different patterns or different images into one image. Especially, I get strong inspiration from the *'1001 Hands' project. How do you get inspiration for your artwork like this generally?
A: I already answered a little about your question with a brief explanation about my work process in the previous questions. The 1001 Hands project is quite different from the rest of my project. It is a community participating project, but I used the same principle. For the community mural, over 600 participants produced 1 or 2 tiles per each person. In the US 2000, I had done a smaller version with 500 students. I collected their small pieces and created a mosaic work. My job was spending a week for an idea of the composition and finding out the possibility of the importance of diversity and harmony. In the 1001 Hands project, I met 30 different groups with different backgrounds; university students, art students, and kids who lived in the area and never had art experience. They painted the tiles with a theme about Tunisian culture in general. I rearranged the tiles and focused on balance, nature, and geometry and the contrast between urban life and nature. For instance, I showed the different feelings of the city versus nature through the straight lines by the students in architecture and more organic lines by children who lived in the countryside. It was interesting to see the idea of the community participants and at the same time, the idea of my old idea. The experience of the large scale project is quite different from the small individual artwork because it is different from happening where you are by yourself in the studio.
*1001 Hands is a community mural installed at Ibn Rachiq
Cultural Center in Tunis, with 600 participants from various regions and
diverse backgrounds, many from rural areas with no previous art experience.
Created under the artistic direction of Anne Francey, in partnership with CNCA,
the National Center of Ceramic Art of Tunis. Made possible with funds from the
US embassy in Tunis and the Swiss Embassy in Tunisia., in 2019. http://annefrancey.com/#/1001mains/
<Anne Francey, 1001 HANDS, Ceramic mural 21’ x 21’, 1024 tiles 8”x 8” each ceramic glaze and tiles 2019>
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