Franko B presents his new multi-disciplinary performance, Because of Love volume 1. Central to the work is the idea of the sentimentality of memory – the emotional charge and romanticism often applied to our experience of remembering culture.
Drawing upon memories of vivid moments and experiences of art, film and dance from different stages in his life, this piece is about life, childhood, humanity, inhumanity, love and grief. Experiences can be mediated by someone else’s voice or appropriated in a way which is both personal and political.
Because of Love has been through many stages of development and the work has changed and grown over time, following a long process of experimentation, collaboration and dialogue with others. Franko B would like to thank everybody whose input has informed, enriched and facilitated this journey -
Lois Keidan, Gill Lloyd, Manick Govinda, Ron Athey for his generousity and love, Raimund Hoghe for inspiring me, Lee, Paul and Nicoletta for physical training and helping me get into better shape, Nina Berclaz, Samuel Kennedy, Marthe Smidesang - for their rehearsal room support, Nina Ciufini for translation, Anthony Roberts, Tim Etchells, Gilles Jobin, La Ribot, Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, Stefano Teodori for additional video research, Hugo Glendinning for photography, Rafaella Beltrami, Nicolleta Minestrone Mickey Koh and Nathaniel Walters.
Franko B was born in Milan and has lived in London since 1979. He has exhibited and performed widely, including at Tate Modern, ICA, South London Gallery and Beaconsfield, and has presented work internationally in Moscow, Geneva, Zagreb, Mexico City, Milan, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Madrid and Vienna, Brussels & Ireland.
In 2009, he was appointed professor of sculpture at the Academia di Belle Arti, Macerata, Italy, and is a visiting lecturer at the sculpture department of the Royal College of Art in London and other education institutions internationally.
He has been the subject of four monographs, most recently, I Still Love ( Ed.FAM, Motta editore, 2010). His recent shows include among others, Posizione e Deposizione – Franko B and Zhang Huan (Milan), The Golden Age (Rome), I’m Thinking of You, (Prato), I Still Love, (Milan & London).
Drawing upon memories of vivid moments and experiences of art, film and dance from different stages in his life, this piece is about life, childhood, humanity, inhumanity, love and grief. Experiences can be mediated by someone else’s voice or appropriated in a way which is both personal and political.
'Because of Love is not only a new work, but a major departure in Franko B's practice and promises to be one of the cultural highlights of 2013.
Franko B is one of the most important and influential UK based artists of his generation. He is an artist whose work in performance, film, painting and as a mentor and facilitator has been demonstrably instrumental in revolutionizing approaches to performance, to the politics of the body in art, and to critical discourses for over a decade.' - Lois Keidan
Because of Love volume 1:
Performance by Franko B
Original Music by Othon
Original light design concept by Nigel Edwards
Singing by Mitch Miller
Animation by Thomas Qualmann
Technical Production by Steve Wald
Developed in dialogue with Gilles Jobin and Tim Etchells
Performance Support and Prop Operation by Nina Berclez and Samuel Kennedy
Props by MDM (London) and Officinesantandrea (Verona)
Production Assistant Shabnam Shabazi
Because of Love has been through many stages of development and the work has changed and grown over time, following a long process of experimentation, collaboration and dialogue with others. Franko B would like to thank everybody whose input has informed, enriched and facilitated this journey -
Lois Keidan, Gill Lloyd, Manick Govinda, Ron Athey for his generousity and love, Raimund Hoghe for inspiring me, Lee, Paul and Nicoletta for physical training and helping me get into better shape, Nina Berclaz, Samuel Kennedy, Marthe Smidesang - for their rehearsal room support, Nina Ciufini for translation, Anthony Roberts, Tim Etchells, Gilles Jobin, La Ribot, Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, Stefano Teodori for additional video research, Hugo Glendinning for photography, Rafaella Beltrami, Nicolleta Minestrone Mickey Koh and Nathaniel Walters.
Supported by: Arts Council England, plus numerous individual donors.
Franko B was born in Milan and has lived in London since 1979. He has exhibited and performed widely, including at Tate Modern, ICA, South London Gallery and Beaconsfield, and has presented work internationally in Moscow, Geneva, Zagreb, Mexico City, Milan, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Madrid and Vienna, Brussels & Ireland.
In 2009, he was appointed professor of sculpture at the Academia di Belle Arti, Macerata, Italy, and is a visiting lecturer at the sculpture department of the Royal College of Art in London and other education institutions internationally.
He has been the subject of four monographs, most recently, I Still Love ( Ed.FAM, Motta editore, 2010). His recent shows include among others, Posizione e Deposizione – Franko B and Zhang Huan (Milan), The Golden Age (Rome), I’m Thinking of You, (Prato), I Still Love, (Milan & London).
"I'm essentially a painter who also works in performance. I come from a visual art background and this is very important to me as it informs the way my work is read. Over the last 20 years or so I have developed ways of working to suit my need at that particular time, in terms of strategy and context, by using painting, installation, sculpture, photography, video and sound.'
- Franko B 2011