Bluecoat: Franko B, Milk & Blood
Venue: Bluecoat
Date(s): 28.7.16
Time(s): 19:00 - 20:00
LEGENDARY ITALIAN PERFORMANCE ARTIST FRANKO B RETURNS TO BLUECOAT
BOOK HERE: http://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/3455
Born in Milan in 1960, Franko B moved to England in the late 1970s. The Italian artist’s work was originally based on the bloody violation of his own body, however he has since embraced a wide variety of media including video, photography, painting, installation, and sculpture.
Taking place on Thu 28 Jul, Franko’s latest performance Milk & Blood appropriates the aesthetics of boxing for thirteen two minute rounds of mental and physical endurance. Exploring themes of pain, eroticism, revulsion, ecstasy and masculinity, Franko B’s performance becomes a metaphor for social struggle and the ability to overcome.
This will be preceded by an artist’s talk on Wed 27 Jul at 6pm where Franko B will discuss his career over the decades.
Commenting ahead of his appearances at Bluecoat, Franko B said: “I want to make work that matters; this is the only dignified reason to live”
The life and work of Franko is situated somewhere between isolation and seduction, benevolence and confrontation, suffering and eroticism, punk and poetry. Caught up in the non-conformist scene of S&M, tattoos, drugs and hard techno, Franko B found his iconoclastic core during his early performances.
A controversial performer in the vein of performance artists such as Marina Abramovic, Franko B caused a stir in 2003 when in the iconic I Miss You in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern he walked the runway, illuminated by florescent tubes, blood flowing from his veins, dripping over his naked white body and onto the canvased floor. Isolated and exposed on stage, his blood was offered as a reflection of society’s vulnerability. ‘We are all bleeding inside’ Franko B avowed.
Franko B previously performed at Bluecoat in 2008. Artistic Director Bryan Biggs said: “We are delighted to welcome back Franko B to Bluecoat. His live art practice continues to engage and challenge audiences and we are looking forward to the return of one of the UK’s most vital artists working in this field of performance.”