Art Club Ultra (vol.2) - works in progress, hosted by Franky D'miedo

The work of Franco Cortez is an investigation on how to make art accessible for audiences online and off-line. By conducting social events that includes a host, a site specific audience, live music and art practices taking place within a scenography. These happenings are seen as grey areas, where we all enjoy a playful part within it, blending talk-shows and game-shows with today`s social media experiences. He interacts and introduces his own character Franky D`miedo, who mediates using the English language. As this persona, he Invites, introduces and interviews either self-thought or formally trained artists as participants. They each demystify their own practice in front of a crowd an after a time-limit he includes the public to participate in criticism; questioning the performed process. The program has a start, a break and a second half followed up by short artist talks between artist, the host and audience. A winner gets chosen for the sake of propelling the story forward. Social media allows the connection between an individual`s physical journey to portrait itself online, this creates an important layer to the show, allowing the beholders to become the cameras of the show. A show that`s here and now and entirely broadcasted by you the spectator. What is left of the production within it is to behold as an aftermath of the show.Franco wants to set up a site-specific happening inside the festival where he can improvise and activate it with his character and team and produce forth a social event that will include the demystification of artistic practices, where we will communicate with the audience combining it with music, social media and awkward interviews.

Artistic Statement

How can I use social media to expand my practice?How do I merge the physical and the digital world into one arena? My artistic investigation focuses on fluid social events appropriating ideograms and memes from social media as theatrical props. I conduct it by hosting, inviting audiences, musicians and artists to play a role within a performance setting. What motivates me is how we manifest our social-development online and offline. I reference online experiences and apply them to the format of a talk show and game show while posing the question; why do we want to make art more accessible today? How do these tools give us new insight into contemporary art?I am an artist based in Oslo and currently majoring in Medium –and Material Based Art from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. I have five years as a printmaker and work also with performance. In 2015-16, alongside my art collective (Krausekollektivet.com), I participated in the critically acclaimed “Avtrykk. Tresnitt fra fem århundrer” exhibition with our workshop performance - “tresnitt I prosess” (woodcut in process) inside the National Gallery of Oslo. In late 2014 I began co-directing and hosting a show called “Live Arts” (3 seasons, 2014-16), a social event that includes art practices and live music being performed in front of an audience. I have been embracing into social media where I introduce “FTV (FearTv)” – Awkward Interviews and Fantastic Art, 2016-17” – a pop-up broadcasting concept consisting of my character Franky D`miedo, a camera-phone, internet connection and a microphone prop. A method I use to broadcast live episodes on Instagram