Biography

Floris Boccanegra (Roeselare, 1988) is a Belgian conceptual artist based in Brussels, whose practice examines the fault lines of our global reality. With a deep-rooted fascination for the power of images to confront injustice and give form to the unseen, Boccanegra utilizes photography, video, sculpture, and installation to engage with some of the most pressing crises of our time, while maintaining a poetic sensibility. His work blends political urgency with lyrical imagery, seeking to provoke reflection, empathy, and connection.

What defines Boccanegra’s artistic practice is his unwavering attention to context and his personal engagement with the subjects he explores. Each project is informed by careful observation, direct encounters, and extensive research, often involving collaboration with local communities. His works incorporate charged or symbolic elements—objects retrieved from conflict zones, remnants of human struggle, or ephemeral materials that carry profound conceptual weight.

His notable works are Out of Business & Back to Business, both installations of bullet-riddled shutters from Mosul that powerfully exposes the harsh realities of war and critiques the detachment of the Western world from its consequences. The Epitaph is a secret art intervention atop the Pyramid of Khafre, designed to confront humanity with its potential self-destruction and question the legacy we will leave behind. In The Debt, Boccanegra performs a strenuous ascent with 1 ton of refrozen glacier ice up the Ok-volcano in Iceland, critiquing how industries shift responsibility onto individuals. His video work Erosion features a minimalist portrayal of a rat gnawing at a paper reproduction of the U.S. Constitution, symbolizing the gradual erosion of democratic ideals.

Boccanegra’s work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group shows in cities such as Delft (The Netherlands), Tangier (Morocco), Damme (Belgium), and Ghent (Belgium), and has garnered support from institutions such as the Triodos Foundation. His ability to bridge human experience with conceptual clarity has positioned him as a vital voice in contemporary socially engaged art.