DOWN at the Site Gallery, Sheffield, it was one of those moments of unavoidable tension when the Artist, in the portly shape of Franko B, meets the Fourth Estate, in the slightly slimmer shape of the Diary, head on.
Or, to put it another way, Please get your kit off, Franko, for Her Majesty's Press.
Italian-born Franko, with a handful of gold teeth reminiscent of Bond villain Jaws and tattoed from head to toe, was due to pose stark naked in a chair for two or three minutes at a time, one on one with gallery visitors.
An amazing number, around one hundred, had booked to see him.
For Franko, this was a slightly more relaxing performance than a previous one where he is both paint and canvas - he cuts himself and lets the blood drip all over him or the floor.
"Franko B has recently decided to discontinue bleeding in performance," says his website.
So no more cutting edge performances, so to speak, but naturally the Diary wanted to be there for this one.
But Franko wasn't having it. No chair. No nudity.
We could photograph him in the waiting area. In his shirt. And with his collaborator Kamal Ackarie. And that was all.
"You seem very disappointed he's not taking his clothes off," observed Kamal. The Diary had to admit that he was right. But that was what made it a story.
"Art isn't about selling newspapers," drawled Kamal, and your reporter could not deny it.
What do you think? Post your comments below.Franko patiently explained that what we would photograph was not what his audience would see.
"At first you do not see me. For 20 or 30 seconds nothing happens. My collaborator is a brilliant art designer and he makes the body float by lighting," said Franko.
But as we were leaving the Diary, jokingly remarked he had let us down.
And it must have got to him.
He whisked us into another room and took off his shirt to reveal a torso and a bulging belly fairly alive with fantastical animals and crosses.
As photographer Dean Atkins clicked away Kamal appeared with a video camera, filming us both.
Goodness, were we part of the performance? Shouldn't there be a release form to sign?
Franko explained that what people saw was up to them, their expectations and what they had heard about him before. "For some it could be spiritual."
And for some it could be a story.
READ MORENOSTALGIA: Share your memories of the Star Walk. Click here.Back to main news index.Latest sport.The full article contains 455 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
