Rock carvings, childhood memories and city life
This week, we welcome Franck de las Mercedes, a Nicaraguan-born and New York City-based interdisciplinary artist and poet. De Las Mercedes’ work explores memory, identity, family dynamics, societal issues, and the contradictions of contemporary life.
Influenced by abstract expressionism, rock carvings and Nicaraguan primitivism, he developed a distinctive visual language characterized by vivid color, angular line work, raw textures and handwritten elements. His practice draws on personal experience, urban life and photographic fragments, along with commentary on broader social themes and multicultural and historical narratives.
De las Mercedes gained international acclaim for his conceptual art project, “The Priority Boxes,” sometimes referred to as “Peace Boxes.” To promote peace through participatory postal art, he mailed empty painted boxes labeled “Contains Peace” to recipients around the world, free of charge.
In February 2014, a fire tore through his home and art studio, destroying all of his belongings and body of work. De Las Mercedes moved to a new studio in Washington Heights, where he returned to painting his current body of work and began to rebuild.
His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in public institutions and private collections.
In his artist statement, de las Mercedes writes: “I create images that explore societal issues, family dynamics, recollections from childhood, and current affairs. Inspired by rock carvings, abstract expressionism, and Nicaraguan primitivism, my aesthetic is characterized by vivid colors, jagged lines and texture. My art seeks to generate an emotional connection with the viewer by providing a gateway for self-discovery and finding common ground, as well as by establishing a visual place where artistic self-inquiry and documentation become a conduit for reflection on our human condition.”
