Los Angeles based artist Rene Franco’s work attempts to decode current conspiracies, how they are connected and consumed, and events fueled by the misinformed, paranoid American public.
The Last American Conspiracy, 2020
Conspiracy as content has influenced the practice of contemporary artists like Mike Kelley, Jenny Holzer, and Mark Lombardi. Unlike the minimal and, or, conceptual aesthetics used by these artists, Franco employs created and adapted characters in his Guston-esque, Post-internet history paintings.
In the following conversation, Franco and I talk about his background in film and how a “scene” gives potential to multiple narratives and connections. We take an invested look at two of his recent works, The Last American Conspiracy and This Storm, and discuss the conspiracies that informed each piece, as well as the evolution of his visual language and character development.
Rene Franco was an artist in residence at The Skowhegen School of Painting and Sculpture
Learn more and stay updated on Rene's happenings:
Website: www.renefranco.net
Instagram: @re_franco