Francis Simeni: MANIFEST
Hickory Museum of Art reopens with a season of exhibitions
that honor the past while looking to the future.
Follow The Golden Thread through your new museum.
September 6, 2026 - January 31, 2027
1st Floor localHMA Gallery
Opening Reception Honoring Exhibitions by
Francis Simeni, Jean Cauthen, and Rosa & Winton Eugene
Saturday, October 10 | 5 - 7 PM
Francis Simeni, Bearer of Light, mixed media on collaged canvas
Francis Simeni is a painter living in Hickory, North Carolina. Born in Nigeria, the son of a diplomat, Francis split his childhood between Poland and Nigeria before settling in New York City for 36 years, and now Hickory. It is from this perspective that he creates compositions with intense personal narratives. His graphic compositions are infused with emotion from an earthy warm palette and grainy wood surface to a vibrant and full palette on torn up collaged pieces of paper. Using these natural and man-made surfaces as part of composition grounds each piece as it creates a narrative that focuses on a limited color palette sometimes, and a broader, more colorful palette at other times. He explores personal themes and how each person’s story relates to the broader human experience.