Things That Make Me Cry

exhibition at Globe Gallery, Newcastle

(June-July 2021)



about:

Things that Make me Cry showcases Franko B’s Lost Boys – a series of individually hand-crafted, ceramic figures and sculptures both fragile and powerful in their significance and symbolism.

The exhibition draws from Franko B’s childhood in Milan and experiences he encountered when he was taken into care. This early stage of his life left such an imprint on Franko that it has become an integral part of his identity and a prevalent theme within his work:

 “It’s who I am. It’s part of my identity, more than anything else.”  

Each one of the ‘Lost Boys’ is a homage to the hundreds of boys Franko encountered when, as a child, he was estranged from his family, and moved between various children’s homes in Italy. The exhibition becomes the container of the boys institutionalised experiences of trauma and rejection as well as their individual hopes and dreams.



photos:

photographs by Colin Davison



works:

  • • Lost Boys

    series of ceramic wall hangings (2017-2019)

  • • Unloved

    installation of ceramic sculptures (2018-2020)