Image Courtesy | Saskia Fernando Gallery

Fabienne Francotte in her latest exhibition ‘My Makeup is Wrong’ traverses through the stages of grief, as she mines the depths of her psyche. Ink spills from her brush with controlled precision, as diametrically opposing emotions emerge through acts of restraint and release. Fabienne's practice reflects her training in calligraphy and years of ballet, evident in the precise, controlled way she utilises the movements of ink and brush. This dialogue between artist and material is integral to her process, as she probes and contemplates how we, as a society, speak about invisible wounds and hidden traumas that have shaped us. Her latest exhibition, ‘My Makeup is Wrong’, documents the vulnerable process of acceptance that exists within a fragile equilibrium.

The eponymous series ‘My Makeup is Wrong’ presents ghostly portraits—half-formed expressions that capture, in haunting ambiguity, the lasting impact of loss. Francotte skillfully portrays the scars that remain with those who are forced to endure absence, marking these emotional wounds on the bodies of her figures with shades of blue and soft white, held together by bold lines of red and black. With closed eyes and tense expressions, these figures reflect the deep and inescapable sentiments that lingers over time.  In the series ‘Roots’, the artist explores the fragility of existence through black, thread-like streaks that run vertically down the canvas, resembling roots detached from any source. The roots extend beyond the canvas, symbolising the ongoing struggle to find grounding as we move forward. 

Fabienne Francotte, 2024, My Makeup is Wrong 8, Mixed Media on Board

Francotte exploits the possibilities of fabric, metal and clay in her engagement with the aftermath of trauma, abuse and migratory displacement. Her work often draws from her observations and experiences of people around her, including her own - transgressing the boundaries of culture and social and economic classes, to offer a perspective that reflects the complexities and shared humanity that exist across these divides. Since 1972, Fabienne has recorded personal experiences, memories, and stories in diaries which have entered into the artist’s practice. Over time, her text has morphed into a visual language as her dense, unspaced lines of text fill the pages and language becomes a vessel through which she channels and contains the intense emotions that fuel her artistic endeavours. She has concerned herself with a range of social issues present in Sri Lanka since shifting to the island in 2016. She has studied calligraphy (2000) at Maison du Livre, Brussels. She has also participated in KIAR Art Residency, Kathmandu, Nepal (2022). Francotte’s work has been presented at several solo and group exhibitions in Belgium, France, Greece, Italy and South Asia.

‘My Makeup is Wrong’ opened on Thursday 21 November 2024 and will run until 17 December 2024 at Saskia Fernando Gallery, 41 Horton Place, Colombo 07. The programme for the exhibition included a performance by the artist at the opening at Saskia Fernando Gallery and a series of artist walkthroughs of the exhibition.