Flower Series

A new series of stitched drawings on canvas, Flower Series.

Wool on canvas, 40x30 cm each

Franko B, 2020



LOST BOYS SERIES - new ceramic figures


A series of new works from the Lost Boys series of ceramic wall hangings are now available from 

I'M HERE: SPECIAL EDITION PUBLICATION NOW AVAILABLE limited edition of 22

I'm Here is a new publication by Franko B and designer David Caines. It was originally published as a PDF (available from thisisunbound.co.uk), and now a special print edition has been produced, consisting of 22 copies and seven artist proofs. The print edition is lavishly produced and expands upon the digital version, with more than 400 full colour pages, including even more images and texts from the last 30+ years of Franko's practice. It comes as a boxed set including a unique stitched drawing on paper for each edition, as well as a selection of various items such as postcards, stickers, booklets, cardboard cutouts and other materials from Franko's archive
Available to buy now from etsy.com/uk/shop/FrankoBStudio >
 










 










I'M HERE (EDITING MY TIME) AN OFFERING - New digital publication by Franko B and David Caines



I'm Here is a new publication by Franko B and David Caines. The book is available only in PDF form - and exclusively through Unbound, with a special launch price of £8.00.
Buy it here: thisisunbound.co.uk/collections/available-digitally/products/im-here

'I’m Here is a collaborative project with artist and designer David Caines and made possible by the generosity of artists, collaborators, scholars, curators, academics and friends that have contributed to my life journey and work. A collection of more than 400 archival images and critical writing about my time and work, edited by me from material that forms my archive, which is held at the University of Bristol, spanning over 30 years of my art practice.' - Franko B

I'm Here responds to the acquisition of Franko B's archive by the University of Bristol. The archive contains more than 30 years of material relating to Franko’s performances, exhibitions, screenings, visual art, collaborations and his work as a curator, lecturer and mentor. All items, including digitised copies of the videos in the collection, are available to view on site at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection.


THE BODY IS (NOT) HERE - Photos of the exhibition of Franko B's Archive, University of Bristol Theatre Collection

The Body Is (Not) Here - Franko B's Archive
14th February - 1st May 2020. University of Bristol Theatre Collection
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/events/exhibitions/
Photographs by Alice Hendy © University of Bristol



SCREENING: MOVING BODIES - FRANKO B's ARCHIVE - Arnolfini, Bristol


Friday, 6th March 2020 to Sunday, 8th March 2020, 11:00 to 18:00
Free Drop In
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

Moving Bodies: Franko B’s Archive celebrates the archive of artist, curator and teacher Franko B, who rose to prominence in the 1990s due to his extraordinary body-based performances often involving the practice of bloodletting.

Featuring iconic performances such as I Miss You, Still Life and Oh Lover Boy along with archival footage, this 45 minute screening of newly digitised material filmed over Franko’s extensive career can be viewed throughout the weekend, coinciding with the symposium ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ at Arnolfini (6 March), and an archival exhibition The Body is (not) Here at the Theatre Collection (14 February – 1st May), where Franko’s archive is now held.

Organised with the University of Bristol Theatre Collection Moving Bodies: Franko B’s Archive is part of a series of events funded by the Wellcome Trust, forming a larger project to catalogue, conserve, digitise and widen access to Franko’s archive, which was donated by the artist to the Collection in 2008.

More information: arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/screening-dont-leave-me-this-way-films-from-the-franko-b-archive/


VALENTINE'S DAY PROMOTION IN FRANKO B'S ETSY SHOP


Visit etsy.com/uk/shop/FrankoBStudio to view a range of small works by Franko B, including stitched drawings on paper and ceramics. 20% off selected items until 16th February.

Symposium: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY; Accessing and Activating the Franko B Archive

6 March 2020, 10.15 AM - 6.00 PM
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/symposium-dont-leave-me-this-way-accessing-and-activating-the-franko-b-archive/

Framed around the archive of artist, curator, and teacher Franko B, this one-day symposium of talks, performance and discussion, featuring artists, archivists, writers, curators and researchers, looks at the multitude of different ways in which archives can be accessed, activated and animated.

The day will open with an 'in conversation' between Franko B and Lois Keidan, Director of the Live Art Development Agency, and will also include a performance from the project’s writers-in-residence Mary Paterson and Maddy Costa, as well as discussing a variety of challenging archives from Franko's own to the Bishopsgate Institute's LGBTQ Erotica and Pornography Collection.

A full itinerary for the day will be published soon.

Organised with the University of Bristol Theatre Collection the symposium is part of a wider series of public events including an exhibition, talks and workshops, funded by the Wellcome Trust, that marks the end of a larger project to catalogue, conserve and widen access to Franko B's Archive, donated by the artist to the Theatre Collection in 2008 where it is now fully accessible. Please be aware that the event will explore adult themes and content, which may not be suitable for all audiences.

Free, booking essential.

THE BODY IS (NOT) HERE - Exhibition of Franko B's Archive, University of Bristol


14th February - 1st May 2020;
Tues - Fri 9.30am - 5pm (closed 10th and 14th April)

The Body is (not) Here explores the archive of visual artist, curator and teacher Franko B through representations of the human body, which loom large throughout the collection.

Coming to recognition during the rise of performance and live art in the 1990s, Franko’s deeply autobiographical work presents the body as both a site and a material. His body is visible throughout the exhibition via documentation of performances and exhibitions, captured in personal photographs, described in vivid detail within publicity material and press cuttings, or hinted at by its absence through objects, traces and the residue of performances.

Interweaving personal stories and universal themes – of pain, suffering, protest, life and love – The Body is (not) Here provides audiences with multiple encounters with Franko’s body and the body of his archive, which like Franko’s work, challenge the way we see, feel and experience the world around us; asking us to consider ‘what it is to be human’.

The exhibition is accompanied by a programme of free public events, including an 'in conversation' with the artist, a symposium on 'challenging' archives, a writing workshop, and a series of exhibition tours.

More information here: bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/events/exhibitions/


Franko B and Dr Maria Fannin In Conversation

4 March 2020, 6.00 PM - 4 March 2020, 7.30
University of Bristol Theatre Collection, 21 Park Row, BS8 1UP (Lecture Room 3.13)

Visual artist, curator and teacher Franko B will be joined in conversation by human geographer Dr Maria Fannin, whose research delves into the ‘tissue economies’ of blood and other substances, drawing on feminist approaches to health and medical technology.

This event is part of a wider series of public events including an exhibition, symposium and workshop, funded by the Wellcome Trust, that marks the end of a larger project to catalogue, conserve and widen access to Franko B's Archive, donated by the artist to the Theatre Collection in 2008 where it is now fully accessible.

More information here: bristol.ac.uk/theatre-collection/events/2020/content---franko-and-maria-in-conversation.html


EXPLORING THE FRANKO B ARCHIVES

Following a ‘Research Resources’ award from Wellcome, the Theatre Collection has been working on a project for the past 18 months to catalogue, conserve and make publicly accessible the archive of artist, curator and teacher, Franko B. Franko B’s practice explores the limits of the body, touching on pain, suffering and sexuality in contemporary culture. He rose to prominence in the 1990s due to his extraordinary body-based performances at the ICA in London that often involved blood-letting. Creating work across performance, video, photography, painting, sculpture and mixed media for the last 30 years, Franko’s experiences of suffering, neglect, homelessness and marginalisation as an adolescent, and then as a young gay man and punk living in London during the AIDS epidemic, deeply influenced and intertwined with his practice. Archivists working on the project will introduce the Franko B archive, and there will be an opportunity to handle items from the collection.
More information: bristol.ac.uk/arts/events/2020/february/chhs-research-seminar.html


A SERIES OF FUTURE ENCOUNTERS - Sixth blog post from the Writers in Residence programme at the Franko B Archive


As part of the Wellcome Trust funded project Challenging Archives: Delivering research access, public engagement and the curatorial care of the Franko B archive, writers-in-residence Mary Paterson and Maddy Costa are engaging creatively with the Franko B archive as it is catalogued, conserved and made accessible.

'Although it might not look like it, this post is constructed from two interviews: with Stefan Dickers, Library and Archives Manager at Bishopsgate Institute in London, and Dr Justin Bengry, Lecturer in Queer History at Goldsmiths, University of London. [...]'
Read the post here >

Franko B's Archive is held as part of the Live Art Archives at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection


LEGAL HISTORY AND FRANKO B'S ARCHIVE - Fifth blog post from the Writers in Residence programme at the Franko B Archive


As part of the Wellcome Trust funded project Challenging Archives: Delivering research access, public engagement and the curatorial care of the Franko B archive, writers-in-residence Mary Paterson and Maddy Costa are engaging creatively with the Franko B archive as it is catalogued, conserved and made accessible.

'Inside a manila folder inside a box inside Franko B’s archive is a packet of slides of a performance he made around 1991. To see the pictures, hold the plastic packet in both hands and angle it towards the light of the window. Squint.
Read the post here >

Franko B's Archive is held as part of the Live Art Archives at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection