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James Franco's Fake Art, Real Art, and Fake Death at the Pacific Design Center

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So James Franco's General Hospital character jumped off the Blue Whale at the Pacific Design Center last week. It was part of Soap at MOCA: James Franco on General Hospital, which was a real performance art piece, a fake installation, and a real soap opera taping. Sort of. We think. According to MOCA's press release (link goes to a pdf) "In this special episode, Franco, James Franco’s character from General Hospital, will be having an exhibition at MOCA Pacific Design Center, during which time Jeffrey Deitch, the new director of MOCA, and the characters from Port Charles from General Hospital wil be making their West Coast debut." It adds that Soap at MOCA is "part of a new series of performance projects at MOCA Pacific Design Center."

The fake exhibition had recreations of real places from the fake General Hospital world set up in the plaza of the PDC (they included an art studio, a gallery-type room, a 1950s diner, and "a glass box the size of a small room, the site where the character Franco had imprisoned a woman in a previous episode," according to the LA Times) . The real performance artist Kalup Linzy played Kalup Dashinel, who performed with character Franco during the taping. MOCA's press release says "If all goes to plan, mastermind Franco will turn both [adversary] Jason Morgan’s life and his own death into art, a performance to end all performances." We'll know if all went to plan on July 22, when the General Hospital episode airs. But we only expect to be more confounded by a film that actor Franco is making about the whole thing, which the LAT says MOCA plans to screen.
· James Franco takes an arty approach to his 'General Hospital' role [LAT]

Pacific Design Center

8687 Melrose Avenue, , CA 90069 Visit Website