FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JAMES FRANCO’S THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOUR BOYS NOW ON VIEW AT AIR’S CLOCKTOWER GALLERY

(June 23, 2010 – New York, NY) AIR, Art International Radio is proud to present The Dangerous Book Four Boys, the first solo exhibition of artist James Franco, on view at AIR’s Clocktower Gallery in downtown Manhattan, and open to the public every Tuesday-Friday from 12pm-5pm through September 2010.

The short films, drawings, photographs and sculptures on display in The Dangerous Book Four Boys are divided among the exhibition spaces at the Clocktower. The main gallery contains two wooden dollhouse-like structures and a wooden rocket ship, each a recreation of the structures featured within several of Franco’s videos. The exhibit presents some twenty films and videos, including a collaborative work made with artist Carter, seven sculptures, dozens of photographs and drawings, site-specific video installations and ephemera.

Franco's work draws upon traditional depictions of masculinity, sensuality and celebrity, upending them in manners at once humorous, salacious and disturbing. The work engages with numerous art historical idioms, and his admiration for such artists as Kenneth Anger and Paul McCarthy is evident in much of his work: he uses these influences as a spectrum through which to consider and convey the various notions he dismantles. He also toys with the language of popular culture, referencing real and fictional public icons, including his own public persona, in order to highlight the ways in which fame and celebrity are personalized and made meaningful. He experiments with the conceived barriers between each of the media in which he works, and urges the viewer to not view them distinctly.

In collaboration with the radio component of AIR, Franco will produce a series of recordings featuring characters that appear in his work. These performances will be broadcast exclusively from AIR’s online radio station at ARTonAIR.org. The performances will culminate in September with a reading of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl.

The Dangerous Book Four Boys is curated by Alanna Heiss and Associate Curator Beatrice Johnson. It is the second exhibition at the Clocktower Gallery since the 2009 foundation of AIR, Art International Radio, a non-profit, online cultural radio station at ARTonAIR.org.

The Clocktower Gallery is operated by AIR, Art International Radio, located on the 13th floor of 108 Leonard Street in lower Manhattan. The building is owned by the City of New York and visitors will be required to present a photo ID upon entrance. For more information visit ARTonAIR.org or contact AIR at 212.233.1096 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Burning House

Site specific Scatter Piece, 2010

Double-Third Portrait, 2009

Rocket