Artist: Francsico Vidal
Medium: oil on paper, silkscreen on wood, Indian ink and tiles
Dimensions: 45 1/4 x 34 1/4 x 6 3/4 in / 115 x 87 x 17 cm
Born in Lisbon, Francisco Vidal identifies as both African and a product of the diaspora and cross-cultural hybrid. Postcolonial personhood is the main focus of his art, which explores themes of creolism, mixed identities, and transcultural currents. Vidal’s drawings, sculptures, and installations are marked by a visual lexicon that builds on Cubist portraits by Pablo Picasso, ethnographic photography, and African fabrics, as well as the bold, calligraphic lines of graffiti and street art. Vidal’s large-scale portraits are composed of layered sheets of paper, highlighting their status as both objects and paintings, and evoking an architectural physicality. Across mediums, Vidal balances technical precision with expressive freedom, creating emotive artworks that are rooted in a will to survive and the acknowledgement of historical traumas.
Learn more about the artist here.