Jean Franco not only opened the door of his Mission home, which with a notable collection of books, photographs, prints and apparel resembles an art gallery—he opened the doors of his heart to embody the soul of Frida Kahlo.
“When I discovered Frida in me I did not have enough courage to decide what I wanted to be, but her life and work gave me the courage I needed,” said Franco, a young man whose presence transmits light and sympathy.
Physically, Franco’s appearance easily resembles that of Frida Kahlo (1907–1954), “a splendid character and visionary painter, a leftist figure and a chosen and revived tradition,” said the late writer Carlos Monsivais about her.
Of Filipino ancestry, Franco grew up in the womb of a conservative family. He immigrated to the United States at age 12 to live with his mother. “We never had a good relationship, because for her being gay was shameful,” Franco said.
Besides the physical resemblance and similar artistic training, he resembles the painter with a defiant attitude with which he has chosen to live.
“At age 18 I took my things, I left my home and started my independent life, asking myself who I was and what my purpose in life was,” said Franco. “Coming to the United States allowed me to discover new ways of thinking, have different expectations and know what life is like for the undocumented, as was my mom.”
Through sacrifice and hard work, Franco finished his art studies in Berkeley, facing prejudices of a society that “sadly, even with so much accumulated knowledge, continues to put pressure on those of us who are different,” he said.
From an artistic point of view Franco knows that his Frida Kahlo concept goes beyond a trend; he is trying to be more than just another person attempting to revive the popular painter.
In 2005 Franco decided to dress up as Frida Kahlo for Halloween, astonishing his Latino friends because of the close resemblance to the Mexican painter.
Since then, Franco conceived the idea of personifying and paying tribute to the life and work of Kahlo, assuming it as an artistic expression and shelter to find himself.
Franco refers to the countless encounters that bind him with Frida since.
In 2008 he attended a ‘Frida Kahlo model casting call’ at Galeria de la Raza. In 2012, he was invited by René Yáñez to participate in a fashion show of Jean Paul Gautier at the de Young Museum organized by the Consulate General of Mexico and The Mexican Museum .
His portrait appears in a book commemorating the SFMOMA. He also traveled to Mexico and during his visit to La Casa Azul/Frida Kahlo Museum, Franco was portrayed in the Castle of Chapultepe , the pyramids of Teotihuacan and elsewhere in Mexico City’s center impersonating the Mexican painter.
“I started to pay attention to all these cosmic coincidences, trying to understand what exists within me for this to happen, being physically or symbolically related to Frida by others. I can only be grateful for all that unites me with such an important character,” said Franco.
As a photographer, dancer, stage and screen actor, Jean Franco is backed by a vast body of work. He has acted in the film “Milk” (2008)—the guy who sells flowers you kiss Sean Penn— as an extra in “The Mission” (2009) by Peter Bratt, and in “Infinity and Chashu Ramen” (2013) directed by Kerwin Berk .
He is also a musician, plays the violin and koto, and considers himself to be an advocate and activist for gay rights.
For “Jean-Frida,” many artistic projects lay ahead. He sees himself “as a citizen of the world, and celebrate the richness that exists in each of us, which shows how wonderful and unique we are.”
On Facebook, you can locate Jean Franco as “I am Frida Kahlo”.
—Translation Alfonso Agirre