It’s Francotte's nature to interpret the people she meets through her art. But on this journey, instead of drawing faces, she challenged herself to reproduce the inanimate surroundings. From the ever-dying foliage and the intergenerational embroidery to the sound of the bronze bowls in the temples—she interpreted her experience onto the postcard medium.
She translated the holy atmosphere. The architecture of many temples dazzling the narrow streets. The superstition of the annual Dashain festival, the “bling-bling bazaar, the temples and shops”. The wide-open landscaping of the Garden of Dreams against the darkness of the poverty outside of it. She was moved by the evil eye, the temple bells, and the dust, which seemed permanently suspended in the air by the particular odor of the city. Curtains hiding secrets, and so many messages to the gods, so many prayers for protection—“you can’t escape it,” she said.
October 1, 2022
