Franko B

How To Say It The Way It Is! is a recently opened group exhibition at RUA RED, Tallaght. The show has been curated by Milanese artist Franko B, known most widely perhaps for his visceral, ritualistic and S&M-inflected body-based works which have previously seen him puncture his own flesh and suspend himself from meat hooks in front of an audience. Here, Franko shares a few words with masc.

On being considered a queer artist: "I don't really think about it. What influences me is life as a whole and, consequently, how I live it and respond to it – which includes my sexuality. I cannot pinpoint my identity, I see it as something fluid. First, I am a being". 

On the title of the exhibition: "It means that the work I selected for the show, which comes from a private collection of the name a/political, in my opinion, does exactly this. The works are direct. Whatever the artists' intention, their statement or message is clear". 

On the exhibition: "It's not moral, it's not about educating, it's not about telling people what to believe. Rather, it’s about showing how the artists, as living beings, perceive it to be and the necessity to express and show it".

On selecting works: "I had the honour to be asked and trusted to curate this show by a\political and RUA RED. [a\political] has hundreds of important works spanning about 40 artists  [including Barbara Kruger, Shirin Neshat and Ai Weiwei] – I chose the ones which I felt do what the title [of the exhibition] says".

On the importance of art being political: "All art is political". 

On the message he hopes How To Say It The Way It Is! will get across: "That there artists out there who don't compromise on their vision for commercialisation or credibility, who make the work they believe needs to be made".

How To Say It The Way It Is! runs until 2 December 2017 at RUA RED Tallaght. 

Credit: Portrait by Benito Frazzetta, courtesy of the artist.