Francisco Van-Dúnem, or ‘Van’, was brought up in the Angolan province of Icolo e Bengo. Studying in his native country as well as in Portugal and Cuba, he is a founding member of the Angolan National Union of Fine Artists (NUFA), and winner of the 2008 National Arts and Culture Prize. In addition to his artistic practice, he is currently a professor in architecture at the Universidade Agostinho Neto in Luanda. Van-Dúnen is recognised for his vibrant depictions of the environment, fiction, everyday life, and the relationship between man and animal.