Francis Offman

Francis Offman, Untitled. 2019-2021. Courtesy the artist. Photo by Carlo Favero

Francis Offman, Untitled, 2022. Courtesy the artist; P420, Bologna; and Herald St, London. Photo by Carlo Favero.

Francis Offman, Untitled, 2019-2022. Courtesy the artist; P420, Bologna; and Herald St, London. Photo by Carlo Favero.

Francis Offman, Untitled, 2019-2021. Courtesy the artist; P420, Bologna; and Herald St, London. Photo by Carlo Favero.

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Francis Offman's (b. 1987, Rwanda; lives and works in Bologna) paintings and works on paper utilise an economy of means, which is key in understanding his practice as a whole. For Offman it is important not to waste materials – spent coffee grounds, discarded artworks from collages, found materials and paint are all brought together for each unique work in his oeuvre. Offman’s prudence seems particularly relevant after years in which many everyday objects became sought after and environmental concerns have made recycling increasingly imperative. It is his frugality that is essential to the conceptual underpinning of Offman’s work. Whilst the paintings are all unframed, utilising no support structure, they are rich and complex and reward careful inspection. Surfaces overlap, paint and object collide to give end results that pivot between painting and collage.

Offman’s work is currently included in a group exhibition at Castello di Rivoli, Italy, as well as the 8th Biennial of Painting at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Belgium.