Francis Alÿs

Francis Alÿs studied architecture in Tournai and engineering in Venice. After his studies, he moved to Mexico, where has been living since 1986. His work covers a wide range of media, from painting and film to performance. It probes the lines between politics and poetry, individual action and powerlessness, and addresses social issues and geopolitical themes. Between 2010 and 2011, Alÿs’ solo exhibition A Story of Deception was shown at Tate Modern in London, WIELS in Brussels and MoMA and MoMA PS1 in New York. He also participated in Manifesta 10 in Saint Petersburg and documenta 13 in Kassel and Kabul. In 2022 Alÿs represented Belgium at the 59th Venice Biennale. Only a few of his films reside in collections: Without an Ending There is no Beginning (2008–2011) at S.M.A.K. in Ghent and When Faith Moves Mountains (2002) at M HKA in Antwerp. A large part of his work is kept in the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.