November 2011

UNC-Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, Offers Works by (Luis) Franco

UNC-Chapel Hill’s Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History will present the exhibit, FRANCO Gallery Exhibition, featuring works by (Luis) Franco, on view in the Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery and Museum in Chapel Hill, NC, from Nov. 11 through Jan. 20, 2012. A reception will be held on Nov. 11, starting at 7pm.

Franco’s work is an exciting and eclectic mix of pop art and pop art icons reconfigured to communicate subtle and overt political themes.

While preferring to be called simply Franco, his quest to synthesize art and activism provides him with exciting new possibilities. Through his illustrations, graphic art, and paintings, Franco produces what he calls visual activism. His visual activism embodies a strong urge to “create and

sustain justice and open a space for truth to prevail”. By doing so, he states, the characters and images he creates grab more than your attention; they spark consciousness.

Franco’s work, described as both accessible and thought-provoking, makes statements about the triumphs and continued struggles of those who have fought and who continue to fight for social equality and justice.

Examples of Franco’s bold and engaging aesthetic can be seen, most recently, in his pop art examining culture through the lens of popular Latino and Asian food products. Additionally, music is always a strong influence in his work, whether hip-hop, funk or rare groove.

Franco received his Bachelor of Arts in Art at North Carolina Central University with a concentration in Visual Communications and a Certificate in Multimedia at The School of Communication Arts. Franco lives and creates in Durham, NC.

While some may claim that life imitates art, Franco is dedicated to the notion that art can change life.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Museum at 919/962-9001 or visit (www.unc.edu/depts/stonecenter).

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