MMK Arnhem
Starting 8 June, the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem will be featuring a large retrospective exhibition by Spanish artist Alicia Framis (1967, Barcelona). Framis gained international recognition for performances and projects in public spaces that focus on human existence and social relationships. Her projects are interdisciplinary and intersect with fashion, architecture and design.
Framis seeks to bridge the distance between the artist and viewer. All of her work is designed to create unexpected encounters and experiences. Framis believes that normal art objects are too limited to convey ideas and emotions, and that as an artist you can best reach the public through direct contact and interaction. Her contribution to Utrecht’s Festival a/d Werf in 1996, for instance, was Compagnie de Compagnie, an escort service of identical twins who accompanied solo travelers to festival locations. In 1997 and 1998, Framis offered herself as a “dreamkeeper” for 40 days, a service for people who wanted company as they slept at night. At a number of exhibition sites, including the 2001 Berlin Biennale, she developed a mini-relaxation space exclusively for women where they could indulge in a male “comforter.” In 2003 she created a sensation with her project Anti-Dog. This clothing line is based on a new material that is both bullet-resistant and resistant to dog bites (2003). In the project Not for Sale (2008) Framis brings attention to global child slavery using necklaces and photos of children. Since 2009, Framis has worked on the project Moon life Academy. For this piece, she challenged a number of artists, designers and architects to develop innovative products and prototypes for living on the moon with the ultimate goal of also having positive repercussions for life on earth.
Work over the last 20 years
The exhibition at the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem highlights the great range of her work over the last 20 years. Framis in Progress is structured around three themes in which interaction with the public is key. In “Fitting Room” the public can discover the clothing that Framis has designed and the ways in which this clothing was worn for demonstrations, events, and performances, such as Anti-Dog. Visitors can try the clothing on in fitting rooms. The “Studio with social architecture” displays drawings and prototypes of social sculptures and spaces which Framis has designed since 1995. The public can take away copies of the designs. The third part, “Wishing Wall,” is a spot for visitors to (invisibly) leave behind their dreams and wishes.
Short biography
Alicia Framis studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris (1990-1993), the University of Arts, Barcelona (1985-1990) and has been associated with the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, Amsterdam (1995-1996). In 1996 she won the 'Uriôt-prize', and she received the Prix de Rome second prize in 1997. Framis lives and works in Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Book
The publication Framis in Progress will accompany the exhibition.
Travel
After Arnhem, the exhibition will travel to the Cultuurcentrum Bruges, Belgium and the Galerie im Taxaispalais Innsbrück, Austria.