“Thank God for francis!”
– Camille Behrens, Arts educator.
francis burger (MFA, University of Cape Town, 2011) is an artist, facilitator, and designer based in Johannesburg. francis works with people across disciplines to facilitate expression, improvisation, play and reflection; designs publications and websites; and makes things with clay, fabric, ink, paper, and computers. francis’ practice is directed by a fascination with process, publishing, and an iterative (read tortoise/worm’s eye view) experience of expression as connection / communication in a transformative sense.
“a committed-comrade-in-independent-publishing”
– Dr. Rangoato Hlasane, Assistant Professor, Contemporary Art with a Focus on Global South, Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Co-founder and Co-Artistic Director, Keleketla Library.
In 2010, together with artist and bookmaker Jonah Sack, francis initiated the Independent Publishing Project. Exhibited itinerantly over the past decade as a ‘creative library’ – where books are made as well as read – the project now hosts over 500 small-scale artistic and popular history publications from South Africa, dating from the 1950s to the present.
Between 2022-2025 francis developed and co-facilitated collective publishing modules within the Fine Arts degree programme at the Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, at the invitation of Dr. Rangoato Hlasane(Keleketla! Media Arts project, Wits School of the Arts, Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln).
francis has consulted with, facilitated editorial processes, and designed books, websites, and other media for various arts and cultural funding organisations, as well as individual filmmakers, artists and other practitioners.
Clients and collaborators include the Prince Claus Fund, Pro Helvetia, Lalela Arts Education, A4 Arts Foundation, the Department of Basic Education/National Education Collaboration Trust, the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand & University College London, edition ~ verso & Sara-Aimee Verity (master printmaker), Dr. Bettina Malcomess (artist & researcher), Milisuthando Bongela (director & writer) and Hankyeol Lee (cinematographer), Tamzyn Botha (artist, set designer & director of Shade Youth Arts Programme), Molemo Moiloa(artist & organiser), Dr. heeten bhagat (researcher & ‘nomadic provocateur’), Paribartana Mohanty (artist), Lavendhri Arumugam (artist, writer and curator), Dr. Meghan Judge (artist & researcher), Erin Honeycutt (Cutt Press), Nyakallo Maleke (artist), and many many others.
In 2023, francis started an experimental arts publishing imprint called Oriole Press, working with artists and writers to make slight moves, fill envelopes, and fraternise with words that have already been published.
“Francis possesses that rare combination of an original artistic vision, rigorous research, and a genuine commitment to educational engagement …”
– Dr. Bettina Malcomess (Senior Lecturer, Wits School of the Arts)