In everyday life, Franky is involved in styling and design, and he also has another creative outlet: his Artboxes, subtle works in a - the name says it all - box or transparent box. 'That's where I started about 20 years ago,' Franky explains. 'We have moved many times, and with each new house and interior came the urge to hang some of our own works. It also makes it feel like home faster that way. Besides, I also just enjoy expressing myself creatively with art.'

'My mother was also very artistic with interiors and flowers. So I developed a great interest in atmosphere, architecture and interiors as a child. I made the first Artbox for our own house. When we moved to an 1890s mansion, I was looking for something beautiful for the entrance hall. I painted the boxes in the same colour as the wall, and immediately we got lots of positive reactions from people who came to visit. That's how it gradually grew. I made about thirty-five Artboxes in total, although I have no idea where they all hang in the meantime,' he smiles. 'Not that I mind. I'm not really tied to places or stuff. Doing something new once in a while is refreshing. Changing surroundings, having a different view for once... That gives enormous inspiration.'

So where does that inspiration come from? 'That can really be anywhere. In nature, the theatre, from travelling or an exhibition but equally a warehouse full of curiosities or a flea market. Literally anywhere that inspiration can bubble to the surface. In my studio, where I collect everything in boxes, I regularly come across inspiring material that I once thought I would use to create something. That's how I keep making discoveries.'

Still, inspiration does not flow naturally, Franky admits. 'Sometimes I've made something I'm really not satisfied with, but that doesn't matter. I just take it back out of the box and then I think of something else. The process is at least as much fun as the result. I also really don't like making the same thing twice, on the contrary. By always putting it in the same boxes, I create unity in the collection, but whatever is in there can go in any direction. I work very organically and it is nice if I can let what happens happen. The figures in the boxes are always white, which brings tranquillity and subtlety. They attract attention and form a kind of audience for the work behind them, like a mini gallery. That way you get more depth and interaction.'

'Sometimes people ask me what is behind a work, but I find it fascinating how they interpret it themselves. That can be something different for everyone and it's also the reason why I don't give the boxes names but numbers. Everyone discovers something different in them, and if you put a name on it, it immediately becomes so definitive and well-defined... From me, it's okay to colour outside the lines a bit more, I like 'a bit loose'... Art doesn't always have to be so serious.

'I always find it intriguing how sometimes people see something completely different in it than I do. For example, Artbox No. 5 was inspired by a visit to the opera, which is reflected in the red colour, reminiscent of the velour of theatre seats. Artbox No. 1 came about when I saw a partition wall in a gallery, in vintage fifties style. Funny though, so not the art in that gallery, but the furniture was the inspiration at the time. With Artbox No. 2, the cubist box, I seriously cursed, because I seriously misjudged cutting so many cubes to size,' Franky admits, laughing. 'But then when I saw the result, I was very happy with it.' 

These and more works have recently become available through Immodôme Objects. 'Five years ago we sold our art-deco flat through Immodôme, and when Isabel (Immodôme's manager, nvdr) saw my works, she was apparently triggered, because I recently received a phone call from her. Could we possibly work together? I didn't have to think about that for long. For me, Immodôme has always stood out in terms of design, architecture and images, always offering something slightly different. So I am very honoured that we are now working together.

You can find the works at https://immodome-objects.be/nl/collections/art?filter.p.m.custom.designer=Franky+Van+Hecke&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte= .