Francois du Plessis
"I’m interested in forms and colours and the aesthetic of nature is the thing that inspires me the most. You might notice that a lot of my works look like tree stumps. I love walking through the forest and take photos of all interesting organic forms. For me all forms in nature are perfect. In contrast to the conscious striving of a linear progress in society, nature doesn’t always have a choice, as trees can’t decide how they grow. It’s the mixture of both, the inner energy and the outer influences which create the perfection in nature to me." - Francois du Plessis
Biography
François du Plessis's book objects are made of many layers of printed pages, velvety linen bindings or soft covers, and colorful bookmarks. From these simple materials, he transforms books into sculptures that rarely resemble books but rather cross-sections of trees or aerial views of terraced landscapes with swirls of brilliant color. His evocative titles- "The Vanishing Princess," "Enchantress of Numbers," "Days Without End" suggest that he's interested in stories, though his work turns them into something alien and new.
Born in Zimbabwe, du Plessis has exhibited internationally, including at art fairs in Cologne, Brussels, and Amsterdam, and in galleries and private collections throughout Europe. He lives
and works in Germany.
Born
1961 Zimbabwe, Africa.
Selected Exhibitions
2025 AAF Hamburg, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands
Mittendrin, Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany
Beyond the Lines, Kunstraum Nr. 10, Mönchengladbach, Germany
2024 Art The Hague, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands
Versus, Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany
Kaleidoscoop, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Meerendree, Belgium
About Books and Hidden Stories,- Galerie Probst, Berlin, Germany
2023 AAF New York, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
Lost and Found,with Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, Artco Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
AAF Brussels, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
2022 Summertime, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Merendree, Belgium
The Secret of Colour, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Merendree, Belgium
KunstRAI,Amsterdam, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
2021 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Chiefs & Spirits at Art on Paper 2021, Chiefs & Spirits
Chiefs & Spirits at Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, Art Wynwood, Chiefs & Spirits
2019 Art Palm Springs, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
SCOPE Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2017 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
St. Mortiz Art Masters, Switzerland.
2016 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
2015 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
Art Fair, Cologne, Germany.
“Book Stories” - Stern Wywiol Gallery, Hamburg, Germany.
Contemporary Art Fair, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“Livres D’Artistes” – Espace St. Mengold-Huy, Belgium.
Art Karlsruhe, Germany.
KunstRai, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Positions Berlin, Germany.
2014 Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen
Art.Fair, Köln
“Papier Biennale 2014”, Museum Rijswijk, Netherlands.
2013 “Book Stories” – Kunstverein Xanten
“Book Stories” – Galerie Negen Punt Negen, Roeselare
“ART 2013 Art Fair”- Utrecht, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Book Stories” – Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany.
“Reactivation”- Betonbox, Düsseldorf
“DIE GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf” – Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf
“Affordable Art Fair” – Brüssel, Belgien, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
2012 “Miniaturen” – Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen
“Affordable Art Fair” – Hamburg, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Affordable Art Fair” – Amsterdam, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Arti 12 Art Fair” – Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Gruppenausstellung”- Galerie T, Middelburg
“Art Ulm – Int. Kunstmesse”- Artco Galerie, Herzogenrath
“Open Art Fair” – Utrecht, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Ostrale”- Ostragehege, Dresden
“Zeitgenössische afrikanische Künstler in der Sammlung”-
(Kindermann Sammlung), Pfalzmuseum Forchheim
“Art and Antique Fair”- Rosmalen, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Livres D´ idéés de Livres”- Musée des Beaux-Arts, Verviers
“Gastarbeiten”- Nadel Fabrik, Aachen
“DIE GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf”- Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf
2011 “Neue Positionen”- In Situ, Maastricht/NL”Miniaturen”- Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen.
“Small is Beautiful”- Monos Art Gallery, Lüttich
“Arti 11 Art Fair”- Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Alternate Current”- Slib, Hasselt
Press
PRESS
Selected Artworks
Born
1961 Zimbabwe, Africa.
Selected Exhibitions
2025 AAF Hamburg, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands
Mittendrin, Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany
Beyond the Lines, Kunstraum Nr. 10, Mönchengladbach, Germany
2024 Art The Hague, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague, Netherlands
Versus, Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany
Kaleidoscoop, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Meerendree, Belgium
About Books and Hidden Stories,- Galerie Probst, Berlin, Germany
2023 AAF New York, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
Lost and Found,with Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, Artco Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
AAF Brussels, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
2022 Summertime, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Merendree, Belgium
The Secret of Colour, Galerie Lieve Lambrecht, Merendree, Belgium
KunstRAI,Amsterdam, Gallery Chiefs and Spirits, The Hague
2021 Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Chiefs & Spirits at Art on Paper 2021, Chiefs & Spirits
Chiefs & Spirits at Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, Art Wynwood, Chiefs & Spirits
2019 Art Palm Springs, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
SCOPE Miami, Caldwell Snyder Gallery
2018 35th Anniversary Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, San Francisco
2018 LA Art Show, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Market San Francisco, Caldwell Snyder Gallery, SF, CA.
2017 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
St. Mortiz Art Masters, Switzerland.
2016 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
2015 Gallery Freitag, Aachen, Germany.
Art Fair, Cologne, Germany.
“Book Stories” - Stern Wywiol Gallery, Hamburg, Germany.
Contemporary Art Fair, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
“Livres D’Artistes” – Espace St. Mengold-Huy, Belgium.
Art Karlsruhe, Germany.
KunstRai, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Positions Berlin, Germany.
2014 Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen
Art.Fair, Köln
“Papier Biennale 2014”, Museum Rijswijk, Netherlands.
2013 “Book Stories” – Kunstverein Xanten
“Book Stories” – Galerie Negen Punt Negen, Roeselare
“ART 2013 Art Fair”- Utrecht, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Book Stories” – Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen, Germany.
“Reactivation”- Betonbox, Düsseldorf
“DIE GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf” – Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf
“Affordable Art Fair” – Brüssel, Belgien, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
2012 “Miniaturen” – Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen
“Affordable Art Fair” – Hamburg, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Affordable Art Fair” – Amsterdam, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Arti 12 Art Fair” – Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Gruppenausstellung”- Galerie T, Middelburg
“Art Ulm – Int. Kunstmesse”- Artco Galerie, Herzogenrath
“Open Art Fair” – Utrecht, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag.
“Ostrale”- Ostragehege, Dresden
“Zeitgenössische afrikanische Künstler in der Sammlung”-
(Kindermann Sammlung), Pfalzmuseum Forchheim
“Art and Antique Fair”- Rosmalen, Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Livres D´ idéés de Livres”- Musée des Beaux-Arts, Verviers
“Gastarbeiten”- Nadel Fabrik, Aachen
“DIE GROSSE Kunstausstellung NRW Düsseldorf”- Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf
2011 “Neue Positionen”- In Situ, Maastricht/NL”Miniaturen”- Galerie Freitag 18.30, Aachen.
“Small is Beautiful”- Monos Art Gallery, Lüttich
“Arti 11 Art Fair”- Galerie Chiefs and Spirits, Den Haag
“Alternate Current”- Slib, Hasselt
François du Plessis's book objects are made of many layers of printed pages, velvety linen bindings or soft covers, and colorful bookmarks. From these simple materials, he transforms books into sculptures that rarely resemble books but rather cross-sections of trees or aerial views of terraced landscapes with swirls of brilliant color. His evocative titles- "The Vanishing Princess," "Enchantress of Numbers," "Days Without End" suggest that he's interested in stories, though his work turns them into something alien and new.
Born in Zimbabwe, du Plessis has exhibited internationally, including at art fairs in Cologne, Brussels, and Amsterdam, and in galleries and private collections throughout Europe. He lives
and works in Germany.
Biography
Press
"I’m interested in forms and colours and the aesthetic of nature is the thing that inspires me the most. You might notice that a lot of my works look like tree stumps. I love walking through the forest and take photos of all interesting organic forms. For me all forms in nature are perfect. In contrast to the conscious striving of a linear progress in society, nature doesn’t always have a choice, as trees can’t decide how they grow. It’s the mixture of both, the inner energy and the outer influences which create the perfection in nature to me." - Francois du Plessis
Francois du Plessis
François du Plessis’s book objects are made of many layers of printed pages, velvety linen bindings or soft covers, and colorful bookmarks. From these simple materials, he transforms books into sculptures that rarely resemble books but rather cross-sections of trees or aerial views of terraced landscapes with swirls of brilliant color.
"I’m interested in forms and colours and the aesthetic of nature is the thing that inspires me the most. You might notice that a lot of my works look like tree stumps. I love walking through the forest and take photos of all interesting organic forms. For me all forms in nature are perfect. In contrast to the conscious striving of a linear progress in society, nature doesn’t always have a choice, as trees can’t decide how they grow. It’s the mixture of both, the inner energy and the outer influences which create the perfection in nature to me." - Francois du Plessis