Francis Alys

Much of Francis Alÿs’ art is the result of paradox, indirection and purposeful wandering. A Belgian, he makes his home in Mexico City, where he often roams the streets, seeking the unpredictable, the dramatic. He is instigator and leading actor in his works, heading into the public to push a block of ice around, drizzle a trail of paint or lope about carrying a gun, all metaphors in meaning-laden scenarios. An exhibition of his work can be seen at the Hammer Museum.  (Jennifer Szymaszek / For The Times)