Wrestling with Bacon

Wrestling with Bacon is a curated evening of screenings and talks which explores the links between popular culture in 1950s Britain and the more controversial subject matter of Francis Bacon's early canvases.

Programmed to coincide with FB55, the event will highlight the juxtaposition between the accused subversiveness of Bacon's paintings and the supposed normality of professional wrestling, Hollywood Movies, Victorian science and his contemporary art scene. It will emphasise potential homoerotic undercurrents in these influences and the weight of their impact on Francis Bacon's output, all within a social milieu which outlawed homosexuality.

Keynote responses to the archive footage will be given by Canadian artist Anthony Schrag and Jane Giles, Head of Content at the BFI.

This event has been curated by ICA Student Forum member Jack Smurthwaite.