James Franco, artist, has dead actor Brad Renfro's name carved into his arm

James Franco has done something possibly more painful than his 2011 Academy Awards co-hosting gig.

As part of an exhibit inspired by James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" set for the upcoming Venice Biennale, Franco reportedly had the name of dead actor Brad Renfro carved in his right forearm with a switchblade. As the Los Angeles Times' Jori Finkel wryly notes, "The carving itself could be seen as one of the show's more permanent artworks."

Renfro, star of the 1994 John Grisham big-screen adaptation of "The Client," died in 2008 at the age of 25 of a heroin overdose.

Franco presumably won't be sitting in a gallery showing off his disfigured arm for hours on end. Instead, he documented the event in photography and film.