Francks F. Deceus (b. Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, 1966) is an American painter whose work profoundly reflects his journey as a Haitian immigrant in New York City, where he moved at the age of nine, an experience that permeates his art.
A pivotal moment in Deceus’s artistic development was his residency with Bob Blackburn, the son of Jamaican immigrants, influenced by movements such as the Harlem Renaissance, and a central figure in the African American art scene in New York. He created a space where diverse artists could collaborate, experiment, and push boundaries in the arts. In this environment, Deceus honed his semi-abstract style, blending distilled, figurative imagery with layered textures and dynamic compositions. His Sociology degree informs his exploration of human behavior, community dynamics, and social identity, deepening his portrayal of belonging, struggle, and adaptation. His works often depict the resilience and lived realities of African American urban communities. He is based in Brooklyn, NY.
Public collections include: International African American Museum, Charleston, SC; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York; Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site House Museum, Yonkers, NY; Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Brooklyn, NY.
Francks Deceus’ work, like that of Mark Bradford, is centered on the urban, African-American, and immigrant experience in the U.S. But while Bradford begins with the abstract approach in his paintings, unveiling the concrete reality of charts and maps on they are based on from underneath, Deceus shows precise figures, signs, and symbols, forming jumbled masses in the viewer’s eye the longer one stands before his compositions. We see contemporary Laocöons fighting for life with fire-hydrant snakes or figures aimlessly contemplating their reflections from just above water-level. Each piece by Deceus is filled with double-entendre’s signifying both comfort and danger. Fire-hydrants, which are ever-present in his Mumbo Jumbo series, for example, were used by kids to cool-off and play during hot summers in the inner city, but they are also blaring signs of constriction; having hosed down Civil Rights protesters. Kids went to them because they had nothing else; no pool or beach.
Deceus’ art invites deep reflection on identity, memory, and belonging. The juxtaposition of abstract environments and starkly simplified figures emphasizes the universal human quest for self-definition, connection, and resilience, making his work both aesthetically engaging and socially resonant.
As a Haitian immigrant or “refugee”, as I was sometimes referred to while growing up in Brooklyn during the 1980s, it was difficult to maintain explicit social and cultural ties to more than one place at a time. This created a constant struggle with identity and acceptance. My body of work is an attempt to dig deeper into the construct of my Identity as a native Haitian, juxtaposed with an African American context.
