James Franco Comes To The ICA For A Chat

The artist, author, and Oscar nominated Hollywood actor James Franco will be appearing in conversation with Katie Puckrik at the ICA in London on 1 July.
Mixing A-list with academia, Franco occupies a rare space between popular icon, scholar and artist.  Best known for his performances in blockbusters including Spiderman, Pineapple Express, Milk and Danny Boyle’s Oscar nominated, 127 Hours, he is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation.
However Franco is something of an enigma, deftly endorsing yet subverting his Hollywood status through his practice as an artist and writer. His debut solo show, The Dangerous Book Four Boys (2010) at the Clock Tower in New York and Peres Projects, Berlin, explored the themes of nostalgia and childhood via sculpture, video works and illustrations and he has since gone on to publish a collection of stories surrounding nihilistic youth entitled Palo Alto (Scribner, 2010). A perpetual student, Franco has garnered a reputation within academic circles for his vociferous approach to study, often enrolling on a number of graduate programmes at once from fine art to creative writing; he is currently in the process of completing a doctorate in English at Yale. Katie Puckrik is a journalist, broadcaster and performer as well as the author of a memoir, Shooting From the Lip. She writes columns for magazines and newspapers including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Elle and Marie Claire.

James Franco was born in Palo Alto, California in 1978. He obtained a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles and an MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. He is currently enrolled in the Digital Media Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. An acclaimed actor, Franco is also actively engaged in performance art, painting, video, and installation art. He has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Clocktower Gallery, New York, and Peres Projects, Berlin.

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