Strongly anchored in the Caribbean, Arthur Francietta has spent the last few years researching the vernacular scriptures of this part of the world. Following his residency at the National Typographic Research Workshop, Nancy in 2018, Francietta was curious to explore the graphic phenomenon that preceded the ‘invention’ of writing. Very quickly he was confronted with the omnipresence of the Latin alphabetic system, so he focused his research on graphic systems: Anaforuana in Cuba, Vévé in Haiti, or the indigenous American petroglyphs still visible to this day. The artist’s movements, journeys, encounters and cultural interactions have led to the emergence of new beliefs, new graphic forms, the adoption of a complex contemporary culture: that of the Tout-Monde… Francietta’s creative process is based on so-called asemic writing, a form of hybrid visual language that merges writing and image, while being detached from any linguistic justification. The artist often begins by writing frantically in order to awaken mental imagery and develop a ductus of his own. Then he goes through the pictorial phase. The material is applied by brush and then by hand directly on the paper surface.

Francietta’s works have been recently showcased at MACMA, Martinique and in 2021, the artist will be taking part in the residency programme Ondes at La cité Internationale des Art, Paris and will also part of The Oceans and the Interpreters at Hong-gah Museum, Taipei.