Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Frances Goodman creates bold, tactile works that explore themes of beauty, power, and societal expectations through unconventional materials. Working with acrylic nails, sequins, and ceramic pills—exaggerated in scale to verge on the surreal—she transforms the everyday into intricate, immersive installations that blur the line between allure and critique.
For her SOLO presentation with SMAC Gallery at the 2025 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Goodman examines the role of play and unpredictability in her artistic process, embracing transformation as both a concept and a method. Through her vivid, enticing works, she invites viewers to engage with themes of femininity, consumerism, and excess, revealing deeper complexities beneath their seductive surfaces. In this interview, Goodman reflects on material experimentation, the power of irony, and how playfulness can be a tool for challenging societal norms.
Your work often uses unconventional materials like acrylic nails and sequins to create bold, playful statements. How do these materials enhance the sense of play in your artistic process?
For me, play is connected to unpredictability. What makes a game enjoyable is that you never know the outcome when you start. The same applies to the materials I work with—they are variable, and the outcome is never guaranteed.
Individually, the acrylic nails resemble disposable pieces of plastic, but when layered together, they transform into something entirely different. I can hope for an outcome, like in a game, but it is never guaranteed.
Likewise, regarding the sequin pieces, I grasp how the various colours complement each other, but the material is unpredictable. Each sequin captures light, reflects it differently, and can look entirely different depending on the angle from which it is viewed or the time of day. A dynamic interplay exists between the material, the light, and the viewer. The image adds another layer of complexity to how the viewer experiences the sequins.
At the heart of ceramics lies unpredictability, and the only way to embrace clay’s volatile nature is to adopt a playful approach. The alchemy in the kiln renders the outcome uncertain, whether regarding the form itself or the glazes.
This highlights another essential aspect of play that is fundamental to my practice: transformation. Each starts as one thing but evolves into another through patience, whimsy, and chance.
Why do you choose to invite a sense of whimsy or irony when addressing serious themes like health, addiction, and societal pressures through the medium of ceramic pills?
I have always employed whimsy, humour, and irony when discussing topics that captivate my interest, perhaps because many people, myself included, find it challenging to confront complex issues directly.
Humour and irony work well with my bright colour palette and enticing surfaces, which conceal and obscure darker content. I use these metaphorically—we inhabit a world where we consistently gloss over matters and fixate on superficial aspects to evade or distract from deeper issues. However, the longer you examine the whimsical folly of my work, the more you ‘see’ the darker content, making the bright bubble gum palette harder to digest.
In your immersive installations and sculptures, how does incorporating elements of playfulness enhance the viewer’s personal engagement with your work?
The simplest way to describe it is to say that it makes the pill easier to swallow (excuse the pun!)
What makes a game enjoyable is that you never know the outcome when you start. The same applies to the materials I work with—they are variable, and the outcome is never guaranteed
These interviews were conducted with artists participating in the SOLO section of the 2025 Investec Cape Town Art Fair.