Francis Alys

Though primarily based in Mexico, Belgian artist Francis Alÿs (b. 1959) is a compulsive wanderer. Gaining international attention in the late 1990s, the works of Francis Alÿs (pronounced ‘ah-leece’) are based on his walks in various locations all over the world. Whether tracing the meandering Green Line in Jerusalem, interceding in the drift of the sand dunes outside in Lima, Peru, or documenting the varieties of people carting their wares around Mexico City, Alÿs examines current socio-political situations in specific urban sites, weaving his own fables into the tangled social fabric via performances, postcards, paintings, sketches, ‘tourist’ videos and a variety of other innovative media.