Basic information

Name: Jan Franke “Jakke”, 1953
Place of birth: West Vlaanderen, Netherlands
Based in: Curaçao
Discipline: Visual art; watercolor painting

EDUCATION

Doctoral training in biology; biochemistry research at the Free University of Amsterdam

BIOGRAPHY 

Jan Franke, known as “Jakke,” is a Curaçao-based watercolor artist whose practice draws on his backgrounds in biology, biochemistry, gastronomy, and hospitality. After working as a researcher, chef, and restaurant owner in the Netherlands and Curaçao, he began painting in 2016. Inspired by Curaçao’s light, architecture, landscapes, people, and traditions, his work explores the island’s beauty and heritage alongside social contrasts, decay, neglect, and pollution.

EXHIBITIONS

2020 — The Gate of No Return, Gallery Alma Blou, Curaçao. The exhibition reflected on the triangular trade, slavery, and the historical ties between Middelburg and Curaçao.

Ongoing exhibition at Landhuis Daniel and Landhuis Klein St. Martha