Frank Bacon (Kind of) Answers Some Questions

Frank Bacon, Oscar, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 6 x 5.5 feet, courtesy of the artist

By NOAH BECKER, OCT. 2017.

The mysterious artist know as Frank Bacon was tracked down and cornered for an interview about his colorful large scale paintings.

Do you think of yourself as a street artist? 

A. I don’t think about myself as a defined type of artist or street.

B. I think of myself as a highway, and just found out I was adopted.

C. I make things, remix quotes and ideas, and reframe virtual and real public spaces.

D. Including but not limited to: Skyscrapers, trains, music, pavement, money, billboards, clothing, museums, abandoned houses, writing, weather, talking, small children, pets, and so on.

E. I’m a Renaissance man who hides in plain site and realizes bad weather conditions are good weather conditions.

Is your name inspired by Francis Bacon? 

A. Who is Francis Bacon? 

B. No, unfortunately this is my birth name.

C. Yes, my father had a profound influence on me. He was a lunatic.

D. Yes, Francis Bacon the Poet, of course.

E. No, my inspiration comes from no feeling, no better feeling than a warm pizza box on my lap.

Frank Bacon, Durp, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 6 x 5.5 feet, courtesy of the artist

What do you think of Banksy? 

A. Very nice guy to work with. We also share the same dentist.

B. What the kids have to know is they will never be Banksy (unless they're Banksy).

C. He has defined and shaped a whole generation of Banksy children, a generation of horribly derivative work.

D. How many times have you seen an image of a little girl holding something at the end of a string? It was fun when Banksy did it; now it’s tired. That little girl is tired. 

E. Street art is about leaving a mark, a trace, broadcasting a message, provoking, titillating, stimulating ideas. Damaging your health, developing an uneasy relationship with estate agents, surveillance and cops.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

A. Making a crowd laugh so hard, that no noise comes out, the audience was just sitting and clapping like a seal.

B. I use to care about my proudest accomplishment. Now I take a pill.

C. It is amazing what can be accomplished if you don't care who gets the credit.

D. Smiling; it confuses people.

E. Yet to come.

Frank Bacon, XX, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 6 x 5.5 feet, courtesy of the artist

Do you think art is worthwhile in our current troubled world?

A. Maybe. Also nobody notices if you don’t go to the party.

B. No, what is worthwhile is to take a moment and think, what did you do today to save the world?

C. Yes, art is our only salvation from the horror of existence perceived and augmented in our online world.

D. Yes, any nation, any good nation, revolves around imagination and creation. 

E. No, making art during rush hour is the worst, nothing moves.

Would you prefer working on a wall or working on canvas?

A. Actually, I prefer working on interiors of castles.

B. Or underwater cavern walls.

C. And even more on exterior walls of chocolate factories.*

D. But it also depends on which walls the canvas ends up.

E. The surface doesn’t matter really, no actually it really matters: context is what makes the work (The medium is the message, the medium massages the message.

*fun fact: I also fix chocolate factories. Yes, I actually get paid to do just that. I’m a hero, a chocolate and candy hero for one and all.

Frank Bacon, Precious, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 4 x 4 feet, courtesy of the artist

Why are you so mysterious?

A. The key is keeping yourself to yourself. Keep your mystery. 

B. Don’t give them too much info so you may be defined, It allows an acceptable level of threat.

C. The Less you reveal the more people wonder.

D. You have to be odd to be number one.

E. Maybe your questions should be “Why so serious?”

You like cartoons. Explain your interest in cartoons?

A. Cartoons are art

B. Cartoons are elastic

C. Cartoons never die

D. Cartoons are dreams

E. Cartoons will make you come down with the case of the feels

Frank Bacon, Charles, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 4 x 4 feet, courtesy of the artist

 If you could say anything to the street artists of the world, what would it be? 

A. Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. 

B. Remember, you're not doing it for the Money.

C. Love yourself before you love anybody.

D. Dream your dream, don’t chase it; chasing will get you nowhere.

E. Stop being original and don’t take risks; it’s all about the money.

Is this all just a big joke?

A. Yes, a day without laughter is a day wasted.

B. A day without sunshine is well, night.

C. A two year old is kind of like a blender with the top off.

D. Yes, this is all just a big joke, also all generalizations are false, including this one.

E. People always ask me, “Were you funny as a child?” Well, no, I was an accountant.

What do you have planned for the future?

A. I have a dream of moving to India, or Pakistan, and becoming a cabdriver. 

B. Frank will be at Art Basel in Miami for a very special event and heading over to Dubai to kick off 2018 with a new mural.

C. To never raise my hand in front of my children - It leaves your midsection unprotected. 

D. Frank is now available for a new sponsor and or representative to assist and kindly manage Frank for future exhibitions.

D. I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.

E. In 2018 Frank will be releasing limited edition prints, art toys, cloths, apps and his very own soda, please stay tuned. WM

To get in touch or stay up to date visit Frank on the Instagram’s @realfrankbacon or Frank's very own website, frankbacon.net. Frank also accepts communication via: carrier pigeons, handwritten letters, telepathy and morse code.

This interview has been edited for clarity.