Tania Kross / Podcast / Francis Sling
A Kross Francis Sling
Artist, muralist and poet. About the book he is writing: an explosion of image and word, and of words that become images.
This episode of A Kross … has been recorded and will be out soon. Follow the podcast on the podcast page and you will hear it as soon as it is there.
Who is Francis Sling?
Francis Sling is an artist, muralist and poet. He grew up in Seru Fortuna on Curaçao and moved to the Netherlands at twenty to study graphic design at the Grafisch Lyceum Amsterdam. He names his father and his aunt, the ceramicist Norva Sling, as his inspiration. After about twenty years in the Netherlands he returned to Curaçao, where he now works full time as an artist.
His work is easy to find on the island. Three O'Clock Romance is on the front of his own house in Scharloo, in 2022 he painted a mural based on a psalm at the entrance of Roi Rincon national park, and for the Kaya Kaya street festival in Otrobanda he made Djosa in 2024. Kaya Kaya was co-founded by Kurt Schoop, also a guest on A Kross ….
In his work, word and image flow into each other: for every mural he writes a poem that explains the idea behind it. More than seventeen of his paintings hang in the Curaçao House in The Hague, including eight that depict the verses of the national anthem of Curaçao and life-size portraits of the resistance leaders Tula and Bastian Karpata. His work has travelled far: in 2013 he painted a tree mural in a youth hostel in Xining, China.
At his gallery on Bargestraat in Scharloo he sells canvases and handmade jewellery and runs workshops. With Tania he talks about the book he is working on.
Murals and exhibitions
- 2012Liberty, for the Keti Koti Festival
- 2012Happy Ending, first solo exhibition (Rijswijk)
- 2013Tree mural in a youth hostel in Xining, China
- 2017Kita Sunu, mural in Otrobanda
- 2020Club d'Chef, mural and exhibition at restaurant Kome, Pietermaai
- 2022Mural at the entrance of Roi Rincon national park
- 2024Djosa, for the Kaya Kaya Festival in Otrobanda
Questions about Francis Sling
Who is Francis Sling?
An artist, muralist and poet from Curaçao. He makes murals, paintings and jewellery and has a gallery in Scharloo, Willemstad.
Where can you see murals by Francis Sling on Curaçao?
Among others Three O'Clock Romance in Scharloo, Kita Sunu and Djosa in Otrobanda, the side wall of restaurant Kome in Pietermaai and the entrance of Roi Rincon national park.
Why does Francis Sling write poems for his murals?
For every mural he writes a poem that explains the idea behind it. He calls it an extension of his art.
What does Francis Sling talk about with Tania Kross?
Artist, muralist and poet. About the book he is writing: an explosion of image and word, and of words that become images. The episode of A Kross … has been recorded and will be out soon.
Francis Sling online
Sources: BNK Curaçao, Curaçao.nu (Kome), Curaçao.nu (Roi Rincon), Tellerrand Stories, 1000 Awesome Things about Curaçao, DiBari, Curaçao Art, My Curaçao Guide. Updated 31 October 2026.
Other conversations
- A KrossIzaline CalisterComing soon
Singer who took Papiamentu to international jazz stages. About her contribution to the musical canon of Curaçao.
- A KrossSamira RafaelaComing soon
Former Member of the European Parliament. About her book Let’s talk about our bodies and breaking the taboo around women's bodies.
- A KrossValika SmeuldersComing soon
Head of History at the Rijksmuseum and professor of museums, heritage and religion. About her love for Curaçao and how she wants to protect it through her work.
- A KrossLevi SilvanieComing soon
Singer-songwriter from Curaçao. About how music helps his mental health, and what that can mean for others.
- A KrossDionne Pietersz-ChristiaanComing soon
Psychologist and EMDR therapist, with her practice in Willemstad. About the collective mental health of the island and the traces of the colonial past in it: how do you break that mentality, and how do you take responsibility for your own culture, starting from how children are raised? Nation building, seen through the lens of psychology.
- A KrossKurt SchoopComing soon
Entrepreneur from Otrobanda. About his vision for the neighbourhood and what art in public space does to people.
A Kross … is the podcast of Tania Kross. Each episode is named after the guest sitting across from her. All episodes · Facts and questions about Tania · Contact
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