Why Do I Stare at the Sky and Long for the Clouds
Mandy Franca in her studio
Whether you're planning your next gallery hop or looking for must-see shows during London Gallery Weekend, check out multidisciplinary artist Mandy Franca’s new solo exhibition at Night Café ☕
I recently had the opportunity to see Mandy Franca’s new solo show, ‘Why Do I Stare at the Sky and Long for the Clouds,’ at Fitzrovia’s Night Café. This marks Franca’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, following her solo booth at Independent in New York earlier this month. In this new exhibition, the tranquility of the outdoors is brought inside as the Dutch artist explores ideas of freedom within contemporary society.
Franca presents this new body of work as part of her ongoing series, ‘On Being Light and Liquid.’ These pieces were conceived during a period of illness that confined the artist to her bed, where the drifting clouds outside her window provided a focal point for reflection. Clouds, a recurring motif in the exhibition, represent resistance and impermanence.
Cloud Piece 1 by Mandy Franca
Over the past year, I've been particularly drawn to light blue and its rich symbolism, finding it creates a sense of stillness and calm amidst the chaos of the everyday. I’ve noticed variations of blue in contemporary art and on the runway this spring, so I was particularly excited to visit the show last week and step into a space filled with dreamy clouds in soft, fresh tones.
Detail shot of Why Do I Stare at the Sky and Long for the Clouds by Mandy Franca
A portrait of Franca with the exhibition's title piece.
One aspect I particularly like about the exhibition is the varied placement of the artworks on the gallery walls, with some reaching near the ceiling and others positioned almost at ground level. Occupying the far right wall, a monumental four-panel work sharing the exhibition's title engages in a dialogue with smaller pieces that blend printmaking, drawing, photography, and painting.
Breathe (2025), which at first glance resembles an oil painting, is crafted from satin and silk, using a space image as its source, which Franca then abstracts. The final piece has an almost colour gradient-like appearance. Towards the rear of the gallery, positioned side by side, are Cloud Piece 1 (2025) and Cloud Piece 2 (2025). In these works, Franca layers inkjet, acrylic paint, oil pastel, oil stick, soft pastel, and china marker to create compositions that evoke fragments of skyscapes.
A portrait of Franca in front of her Cloud Piece works.
My favourite piece in the show is Impermanence 2 (2025), a work on paper that recreates the feeling of looking out of an airplane window above the clouds. Franca also presents three untitled works in darker palettes that feel endless, almost as if one were drawn into a black hole.
The show's thoughtful curation presents multiple perspectives, requiring viewers to shift their gaze and move through the space to engage with the artworks. This active movement contrasts with Franca’s immobility during her illness, prompting reflection on the power of motion, whether observing clouds or using our own bodies. Drawing on William Pope.L’s exploration of standing in relation to power and autonomy, Franca, during her period of immobility, considered the interplay between the limitations of the body and the unrestricted nature of the outside world.
Immersed in clouds and an infinite sky, the exhibition leaves a lingering sense of serenity, much like a deep exhale. If you find yourself in Fitzrovia in the next few weeks, don't miss this show!
‘Why Do I Stare at the Sky and Long for the Clouds’ is on view at Night Café until June 20th.