James Franco – Psycho Exhibition

Last night, actor/artist/painter/teacher James Franco flew over the pond to launch his debut art exhibition in London at the Pace Gallery, which is open to the public from 6 June – 3 August.

Franco, although known largely for his film career, is also a very talented artist and draws on his experience with film and TV work to create a body of video works, multimedia installations and large-scale sculptures. His conceptual artworks range across media including painting, drawing, film, sculpture, installation and photography (not just a pretty face then…).

Teaming up with Scottish artist Douglas Gordon, the exhibition entitled ‘Psycho Nacirema’ presents a “mise-en-scene of director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller Psycho‘”. The exhibition is an exploration of the film that includes remodelling the infamous Bates Motel as a neon sign and showing footage from the Hitchcock classic as part of the installation.

In one part, Franco even dons a blonde wig and gets dressed up as Janet Leigh to recreate scenes from the movie (including the infamous shower sequence – a must see!).

Hitchcock seems to have been in vogue of late, with HBO’s The Girl adaptation followed by Oscar nominated Hitchcock (starring Helen Mirren and Antony Hopkins). Now, ‘the master of intrigue’ himself has been given a James Franco makeover – which somehow works perfectly. Franco’s vision isn’t for everyone but it’s certainly interesting to see his take on a classic subject such as Hitchcock’s Psycho and making it resonate with an audience some 50 years later.

He says of the exhibit, “In this show, we go back to the original locations  and images of ‘Psycho’ and alter them so that once again the viewer’s  relationship with the material changes. One becomes an actor when interacting  with this work. Film becomes raw material and is sculpted into new work.”

A London must-see over the next month, head to Psycho at Pace London Gallery, 6-10 Lexington Street.

Open to the public from Monday to Saturday, from 10 AM to 6 PM: www.pacegallery.com