Set in dreamy, dark, and utopian landscapes, Lola Lefrançois's (b.1997) work sets light on the complex connections between beauty and harm, violence and pleasure. Inspired by her childhood growing up in a utopian township in India and the idealized vision of nature dominating the history of European landscape painting, she pushes us to question our relationship and our use of nature and animals. Her paintings are assembled into large-scale installations that invite the spectator in, playing between the distance of what we perceive and what is represented, illusion and perception.
Lola Lefrançois is a French NYC-based artist who grew up between France and India, where she lived in an experimental township called Auroville (Tamil Nadu). She has accomplished her BFA at the ENSBA Lyon in France and her MFA at the City College of New York. Recently, she participated in the RASP Residency program with Rockella where her work culminated into a solo exhibition. She has been on several group and solo shows in New York City and France, most notably, "Do birds still fly?" Solo Show, One-Eyed Studios at Rockella Space, NY, USA (2023) "Fish don't die with their eyes closed," Solo Show, Compton Goethals Gallery, NY,(2023); "What we did last Summer," Compton Goethals Gallery, NY, (2022). She has won prestigious scholarships: The Kenza scholarship from the Foundation for the arts (France), the Connor Award, and the Crous scholarship.
Lola Lefrançois's residency at NARS is made possible by Fondation Kenza, Institut de France.
