About the Artist

aag 2008

Artistic method
His pictorial method expresses his own spiritual quest. Through an artistic vision and interpretation of Buddhism which aims to eliminate the roots of ignorance of our suffering, his paintings represent different groups of imaginary characters. For instance the "Watchmen-Guardian Monks" series and their Mandala-shields who represent mental postures that enable us to combat and accept our fears, our angers, our jealousies. In this way each proposition is plastically treated through an interplay of contrasts, colours and non-colours, substances and transparencies. A permanent dialogue between curves and straight lines, between edges and surfaces is kept subject to non-representation. The inspiration comes, willy-nilly, from rupestrian art, ancient Chinese and Greek myths, the motifs of Sumerian vases, the medieval imagery, thus flirting with the New Free Figurative Art, the Cobra movement and contemporary Colourists.

Career
Born on 13.08.64 in Orsay, he is currently living in Strasbourg, Alsace. His university years led him through business and visual arts studies. Not only a visual artist, Francis Willm is also an experimenter in life, ranging from intermittent inroads into the performing arts, to art director in publicity and publishing. He is further the initiator of a daring project: the first art supermarket, equipped with a literary café and an Internet café. An ever more spiritual approach towards the outside world is taking shape in his art work, the roots of which can be found in all these provocative ideas, these encounters, these numerous projects, these performances and work with both amateur and professional artists. A further concern is constantly asserting itself through encounters, exchanges and Tibetan Buddhist teaching: the world of warriors monks, mandala-shields, "Wilmus", karmic cycles, Vedas.
F.W.


Principales Expositions :
2009 : ArtExpo, New-York, USA | "Objects", art video, happening, Performance with Banana Manifesto, La Friche, Strasbourg, France | Art Forum, Montreux, Switzerland| International Art Fair

2008 : Musée d'art Contemporain de Barcelone (MACBA), improvisation performance photo | Récif & Salvador de Baya, Performances, Brasil | Milano Accessible Art Fair, Italia " | Geneva Accessible Art Fair, Italia | "Code Napoleon", art video, happening, Performance, exhibition, Art Director, Athena, Greeceland | Inventa, Karlsrhure, Germany | Europ'Art, Geneva, Switzerland | Racines,Conseil general Stasbourg, France | Paysage politique-Paysage Urbain, Photo-tag exhibition, Heraklion, Creta

2007 : Inventa, Karlsrhure, Germany | Art Forum, Montreux, Switzerland| International Art Fair "Artiste contemporain", Geneva, Switzerland | Esprit Maison, Rennes, France | (P)réferences habitat, Nantes, France

2006 : | Land Art, Benni Yeni, Kabyllia, Algeria | "Garbage esthetic", art video, happening, Performance, expositon, Art Director, Heraklion, Creta | Inventa, Karlsrhure, Germany | Esprit Maison, Rennes, France | (P)réferences habitat, Nantes, france
2005 : Lineart art fair, Gent, belgium | Art fair "art.Metz", Metz, France | Récup'art, Paris, france | Art Fair of St Etienne, france, "year of Brasil", special guest by the city of Florianopolis | Interieur Design, Strasbourg, France | public auction, Paris, France

2004/05 : Beiramar Center, Florianopolis, brasil J 2004 : Gallery Maison de l'art, Osaka, japan | Espace Intemporale, Metz, france | Kunstmarkt, Bad Bentheim, Germany | Art fair "art.Metz", Metz, france

2003 : Manoir du Mad, Amnéville, france | Art fair "art.Metz", Metz, france | La Motte Tilly Art fair, france | Gallery JC Broglin, Colmar, france | Gallery Crid'art, Amnéville, france | Gallery Art-Loft, Ingelmunster-Bruges, belgium | Galerie de l'Ail, the artist Kit of survive,collectif of artistes, Strasbourg, London... | Place des Arts, Strasbourg, france | Espace Intemporale, Metz, france | Court-Circuit, Paris Parc de la Vilette, france

2002 : Gallery Agbé & Gbalicam, Paris IV, france | Gallery Jc Broglin, Colmar, france | Galerie des Pénitents, Gordes, france | Art fair "art.Metz", Metz, france | Salon Siac, Marseille, france | Osaka art fair, Japan | Art fair, Kunst-event, Anvers, belgium | Court-Circuit, Paris Parc de la Vilette, france | Court-Circuit, Paris Blanc Manteaux Paris IV, france | Btb, Stuttgart, germany | Quai aux Arts, Strasbourg, france | 3/4 de l'art, Strasbourg, france | "ident'hic", Strasbourg, france | La Motte Tilly art fair, france

2001 : Selected at the publishing of the UNESCO | Gallery CAPE, Strasbourg, france | Gallery Art Up, Nancy, france | Gallery La Rage, Lyon, france | Art fair "art.Metz", Metz, france | Osaka art fair, Japan | Colmar Art fair, france | Art Market Bastille Paris, france | Art Market, Nancy, france | biennale of art Noir & Blanc, Garennes Colombes, france | Quai aux Arts, Strasbourg

2000 : Quai aux Arts, Strasbourg, france | Art Market of Paris Auteuil, france | Babel Art, Strasbourg, france | Passerelles de l'art, Courbevoie, france | Kunstag, Kehl, germany | ARH, Strasbourg, france

1999 : Gallery Singer, Erstein, france | Erstein art fair, france | "Strasbourg-Méditerrannée" + happening, Strasbourg, france

1998 : Nancy Art Market, france | Basel Art Festival, Switzerland

1997 : Gallery Planet Willmus, Strasbourg, france

1996 : Gallery Planet Willmus, Strasbourg, france

1993 : 2nd Public order, wall-painting of 120m2, city of Hoenheim, france | Le sapin de Noël des artistes, Strasbourg

1992 : First Public order, wall-painting of 120m2, city of Hoenheim, france

1991 : Galerie 29, Strasbourg, france | Grand salon d'Hiver de la Peinture, Lyon, france | Art et Fac, Strasbourg, france | Semaine création jeune, Schiltigheim, france | Anekdota, Espace d'art Plastique "Centreville", Strasbourg, france

1990 : Casino de Faïncerie, Sarreguemines | public auction, Strasbourg, france

1989 : Radio Monte Carlo, Belfort, france

1987 : university, palais universitaire, Strasbourg, france