Solo Exhibition – Franko B

This might seem a strange link to the work of Franko B, but the process of production in Butades and Franko B is remarkably similar. Clay, the ‘primordial material’ serves for both works of art and household goods – statuary and pots. In both instances, the object’s aim is longevity. For fine art, there is an added incentive to produce a lasting memory. Butades’ ‘portrait-like picture in clay ‘ did just that. His rough-hewn statue was born from love and the notion of losing that love. The same impulse governs Franko B’s work. The memory of ‘Lost Boys ‘ (the title of his last exhibition’ or just lost love lost becomes an image that presses on his mind.

‘I am driven by an image I have in my head. Essentially, I am a failed painter. I say this as a fantastic thing. Because if I wasn’t a failed painter, I might have got an MA as my tutors suggested. But I would not have achieved what I have achieved. Art school was like a factory. I wanted to experiment. For years, I was working in a kitchen so I didn’t want to repeat myself. I took a risk and kept doing different things. I did what was necessary. In that, I haven’t failed. I’m still travelling. People ask me if I am still bleeding if I am still doing body art. I still work with my body. I still have a body. Everybody is a body artist.’

Review by Lilian Pizzichini

Franko B (1960) was born in Milan. His practice spans drawing, installation, performance and sculpture. A pioneer of body art and a leading performance artist and activist, Franko B uses his body as a tool to explore the themes of the personal, political, poetic, resistance, suffering and the reminder of our own mortality and vulnerability. 

Franko B lives and works in London and is a professor of Sculpture at L’Accademia Albertina Di Belle Arti di Torino, Italy. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art, London. He has performed and exhibited work internationally including at: Tate Modern; ICA (London); South London Gallery; Arnolfini (Bristol); Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels); Beaconsfield Contemporary Art (London); Bluecoat Museum (Liverpool); Tate Liverpool; Ruarts Foundation (Moscow); PAC (Milian); Contemporary Art Centre (Copenhagen) and many more. His works are included in many international public and private collections including: Tate, Victoria and Albert Museum, South London Gallery, and the permanent collection of the city of Milan.