Jake Francis describes himself on his website as an “artist?”, placing his work immediately away from the traditional. He describes his work as sitting “uncomfortably within the zombified puddle of appropriation”, taking the ready-made into his own to produce sardonic and witty sculptures, collage, installations and video, often with the purpose of critiquing the art world and the culture of art.
Jake’s style has often been described as being surrealist or fluxist. He cites his inspiration as coming from those individuals or groups who also negate the traditional forms of art and its display and presentation, those who refute the art world’s “subscription to normalcy.”
Francis named artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset, Marcel Broodthaers, Bruce Nauman, Andrea Fraser, Robert Gober, satirist Chris Morris’ parody series Brasseye, and satirical media company The Onion as among his key influences.
Jake Francis worked with the Norman Rea Gallery in 2014 when his work was displayed as the “Repungent” exhibition. Taking inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s travelling museum, La Boîte En Valise (1935 - 1940), Francis created each piece in a suitcase and many were exhibited in this context.
The installation encapsulated the exhibition’s title both in how it rejected the gallery institution in the pieces’ non-traditional presentation, as well as in their often distasteful content.
Today, Jake works as a freelance artist and writer and has this year exhibited work throughout the UK and abroad. Future events include exhibitions and film screenings in London, as well as a touring display of THE CLUNKER: an art vending machine conceived by Jake and Davide Lakshmanasamy.
Jake’s work will again be exhibited at the Norman Rea in celebration of the gallery’s upcoming tenth-year anniversary exhibition “TEN”. The exhibition aims to celebrate ten years of the Norman Rea Gallery by displaying a selection of artists and their works who have formed the Gallery’s history.
The exhibition will run 14th-28th October 2019 in the Norman Rea Gallery with preview night 14th October 7-10pm.
Written by Rosie Day