Franck de Las Mercedes
Encyclopedia
Franck de Las Mercedes, (b. 1972 in Masaya
, Nicaragua
) is a Nicaraguan American
Popstract Expressionist visual artist raised in New York City. With a self-obtained education, straight from the aisles of the NYC Public Library, de Las Mercedes has emerged as one of the country's most prolific visual artists in recent years.
From his provocative portraits to his large scale abstract paintings, Franck de Las Mercedes' work has been described as symbolic, vibrant, colorful, explosive and sometimes disturbing. An intimate journey into the psyche of the artist, Franck's art combines expressionism, photography and collage to illustrate the aftermath of emotionally charged experiences and depictions of how he sees the world around him. Franck defines his style as Popstract Expressionism, in which an artist experiments with different theories, techniques, ideas and influences embodied in his work.
In 2006, Franck initiated «The Priority Boxes Art Series», a peace initiative that has evolved into a movement now embraced by popular culture, mainstream media outlets, schools and art educators across America. From his small studio near the Hudson River, the artist ships abstractly painted, seemingly empty boxes with a label that reads: «Fragile, handle with care: Contains peace» to people around the world. The boxes aim to spark dialogue and challenge people to reconsider their ability to influence change and question the fragility, value and priority given to concepts such as peace. De Las Mercedes has shipped more than 8,000 boxes to countries and cities across the globe from urban and rural America to Asia and South Africa.
Franck and his work have been featured on numerous national and international television and radio shows including, LatiNation, CNN En Español, Noticiero Telemundo and Univision's "Aqui y Ahora." He's also been featured in prestigious publications including, Selecciones (Reader's Digest), Art Business News, Hispanic Magazine, SoulPancake, Museum VIEWS, American Style and The Artist's magazine.
Masaya
Masaya, culturally known as the City of Flowers, is the capital city of Masaya department. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada and 31 km southeast from Managua. The town of Masaya is situated just East of Masaya Volcano , an active volcano from which the city takes its name...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
) is a Nicaraguan American
Nicaraguan American
Nicaraguan American are Americans of Nicaraguan ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 177,684 Americans of full or partial Nicaraguan ancestry living in the U.S...
Popstract Expressionist visual artist raised in New York City. With a self-obtained education, straight from the aisles of the NYC Public Library, de Las Mercedes has emerged as one of the country's most prolific visual artists in recent years.
From his provocative portraits to his large scale abstract paintings, Franck de Las Mercedes' work has been described as symbolic, vibrant, colorful, explosive and sometimes disturbing. An intimate journey into the psyche of the artist, Franck's art combines expressionism, photography and collage to illustrate the aftermath of emotionally charged experiences and depictions of how he sees the world around him. Franck defines his style as Popstract Expressionism, in which an artist experiments with different theories, techniques, ideas and influences embodied in his work.
In 2006, Franck initiated «The Priority Boxes Art Series», a peace initiative that has evolved into a movement now embraced by popular culture, mainstream media outlets, schools and art educators across America. From his small studio near the Hudson River, the artist ships abstractly painted, seemingly empty boxes with a label that reads: «Fragile, handle with care: Contains peace» to people around the world. The boxes aim to spark dialogue and challenge people to reconsider their ability to influence change and question the fragility, value and priority given to concepts such as peace. De Las Mercedes has shipped more than 8,000 boxes to countries and cities across the globe from urban and rural America to Asia and South Africa.
Franck and his work have been featured on numerous national and international television and radio shows including, LatiNation, CNN En Español, Noticiero Telemundo and Univision's "Aqui y Ahora." He's also been featured in prestigious publications including, Selecciones (Reader's Digest), Art Business News, Hispanic Magazine, SoulPancake, Museum VIEWS, American Style and The Artist's magazine.
External links
- Franck de Las Mercedes's website
- FdLM and The Priority Boxes A documentary by Dan Yadin
- "An Abstract Way Of Life" An experimental documentary by Cara Weiner featuring four abstract artists exploring and exposing their creative expression. The film features abstract artists Franck de Las Mercedes, Ted Minchin, Dianne Leon-Ferdico and Doris Weiner.