Francis Alys, A Story of Deception at WIELS

	WIELS Contemporary Art Centre
	Francis Alÿs, "The Green Line," 2004. Video documentation of an action. Photo by Julien Devaux. © Francis Alÿs.		Francis Alÿs A Story of Deception 9 October 2010 – 30 January 2011 Opening: 8 October 2010, 18:30-21:00 WIELS Avenue Van Volxemlaan 354 1190 Brussels Belgium www.wiels.org
	WIELS presents a major survey exhibition of Francis Alÿs (b. 1959 Belgium), one of contemporary art's most influential figures. The retrospective will present pictorial works alongside a number of new pieces, which have never been shown before. No less than 18 films documenting the artist's actions are featured in the show, ranging from tragicomic failures to poetic observations and other works, which metaphorically address current issues. Paintings, drawings, installations and material drawn from a dozen other works complete the retrospective, which will allow visitors to follow the successive stages in the development of Alÿs' oeuvre and which have led him to become one of the most important artists of his generation. As the title of the exhibition hints, Alÿs questions our reason for being and the utility of things and actions, as well as the way we observe them and give form to them: for deception can be understood as artifice, hallucination, or disillusion. For Alÿs, there is only a fine line between relevance and inutility and he often plays with the illusions that prop up certain ideas, symbols or acts. His work often starts with a simple act, performed either by him or by others, which is documented in any wide number of media, without ever really necessarily coming to a final conclusion. Working in urban settings or in dramatic landscapes, he creates fable-like interventions, which frequently address a historical or political concern attached to a specific site.