John Lie A Fo was educated at the ‘Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten’ in Antwerp, Belgium and the ‘Vrije Academie’ in The Hague, the Netherlands, and currently lives in French Guiana.  Lie A Fo paints on canvas, on paper, creates objects and is also skilled in various art printing techniques. The artist is particularly interested in the traditional cultures of the indigenous peoples and the maroons.

In his art he incorporates several elements from these traditional cultures, but he is particularly fascinated by the unique balance that exists between the natural and the spiritual world within these communities. Rituals and all related traditional implements and artifacts from the indigenous and the maroon tribes are the main themes in the majority of his art. In addition to the traditional cultures of his tropical surroundings, John Lie A Fo is also fascinated by its beautiful nature. From November 2012 until February 2013 there was a large retrospective exhibition, including a beautiful catalogue, about Lie A Fo in SaintLaurent du Maroni in French Guiana.

In French Guiana, the artist is also intensely involved with EMEGA, an organization that uses art education to help integrate disabled children in their communities.  After 35 years John Lie A Fo reinvigorated his artistic relationship with Suriname through a large solo-exhibition at Readytex Art Gallery in 2017.