Jean Claracq

INTERVIEW BY FLEUR HELLUIN

GALERIESULTANA.COM/ARTISTS/JEAN-CLARACQ INSTAGRAM : @JEANCLARACQ

TI TH K E TO M KI ID NG DL IN E AGES

I AM BUT A SHEEP, SO LET ME HOWL WITH WOLVES, AS I SHARE WITH YOU MY LOVE FOR JEAN CLARACQ. BORN IN 1991 IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, CLARACQ GRADUATED FROM THE BEAUX-ARTS IN PARIS IN 2017. HE HAS SINCE WON NUMEROUS AWARDS AND HELD PRESTIGIOUS SHOWS ALL OVER FRANCE.

I FIRST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SPACE IN HIS WORK - IT’S COMPRESSED, LIKE A SOLID 128 MP3. YOU CAN FEEL THE INFLUENCE OF THE 3D AESTHETIC, BUT ALSO OF THE FLEMISH PRIMITIVES. IT'S WEIRD TO SEE ARTICLES DESCRIBING HIS WORK AS ULTRA-MODERN, BECAUSE, TO ME, IT REPRESENTS THE YEARS 1430 –1480, IN A GOOD WAY.

WHEN I GO TO THE STUDIO, USUALLY THE FIRST THING I DO IS CHECK WHETHER THE WORK FROM THE DAYS BEFORE IS DRYING THE WAY I THOUGHT IT WOULD. THEN I TIDY UP WHILE I AM DRINKING MY COFFEE. I LIKE TO CLEAN MY PALETTE EVERY TWO TO THREE DAYS. THE IDEA IS TO WARM UP BY DOING LITTLE JOBS AROUND THE PAINTINGS, SO I'M MORE FOCUSED AND CALM ONCE I START TO PAINT.

IF YOU HAD TO PAINT ONE THING OVER AND OVER WHAT WOULD IT BE?

A VIEW FROM A WINDOW WOULD BE A SUBJECT I COULD PAINT OVER AND OVER. DO I HAVE TO CHOOSE WHICH WINDOW? THE IDEA OF PAINTING THE SAME THING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE SOUNDS STRESSFUL, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN I LOOK AT MY WORK I DO GET THE SENSE SOMETIMES THAT THERE IS A FEELING THAT KEEPS COMING BACK...

DO YOU LIKE EXHIBITING YOUR WORK? WHAT DO YOU DO DURING THE OPENINGS?

YES. I ALWAYS FEEL BLESSED TO SHOW MY WORK. AT THE SAME TIME, I FIND OPENINGS TO BE A VERY DIFFICULT EXERCISE. THEY'RE SO INTIMIDATING, THAT IT MAKES ME FEEL DIZZY. IF I WERE A BIT MORE COURAGEOUS. I PROBABLY WOULD NOT GO.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO THINK ABOUT A NEW PAINTING?

I USED TO GO TO THE LIBRARY A LOT, ESPECIALLY THE ONE AT CENTRE POMPIDOU. BUT SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, I STOPPED. I LIKE TO COMPOSE PAINTINGS IN MY APARTMENT, TOO. IT’S QUIET AND I CAN WALK IN A TINY CIRCLE WHEN I DON’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE THE COMPOSITION MORE SATISFYING. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. THE HISTORY OF PAINTINGS IS A VOCABULARY OF FORMS THAT ARE ALWAYS LINKED TO A CONTEXT. THIS LONG HISTORY, BEING ABLE TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH THE PAST IS WHAT MAKES PAINTING SUCH A POWERFUL WAY TO EXPRESS HUMAN SENSIBILITY.

WHICH QUESTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO ASK YOUR PAINTING IDOL?

I WOULD LOVE TO MEET AN ARTIST LIKE BENVENUTO CELLINI, HIERONYMOUS BOSCH, MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, AND ALL THOSE HUGE MASTERS TO SEE IF THEY WERE KIND TO PEOPLE, OR AS DARK AS SOME HISTORIANS SAY. AND TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FAITH AND THE THEOLOGICAL CONTENT OF THEIR WORK.

WITH MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO MEET AND TALK ABOUT THE SUBJECTS THAT FASCINATE ME.

BUT ULTIMATELY, I DON'T THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK TO AN ARTIST. THE MAIN RULE OF PAINTING IS TO MEET THE OBJECT, AND I HAVE TO SAY I APPRECIATE THIS CONSTRAINT.

HOW DID YOU DEVELOP THE WORK YOU’RE DOING NOW?

I AM WORKING ON SOME DIFFERENT SCULPTURE PROJECTS. TWO OF THEM ARE OLD IDEAS I HAD FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO. I ALWAYS HAD SCULPTURE AS PART OF MY PRACTICE, BUT PAINTING IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME THAT IT TAKES ALL MY TIME.

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR FAVOURITE COLLECTOR?

I DON’T KNOW THAT MANY COLLECTORS. THE COLLECTOR I KNOW WHO OWNS SEVERAL PIECES OF MY WORK WAS A FRIEND BEFORE COLLECTING MY WORK.

WE STILL PAINT IN 2022 FOR THE SAME REASONS WE STILL WRITE AND READ BOOKS, COMPOSE AND PLAY MUSIC OR DANCE. CULTURE IS A NATURAL WAY OF BEING AS HUMANS. WE HAVE A VOCABULARY WE USE TO CONNECT WITH THE PAST AND WITH OTHERS. PAINTING REMAINS RELEVANT AMIDST ALL THE NEW WAYS TO PRODUCE IMAGES. AND IT IS NOT EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE IN COMPARISON WITH MANY OTHER ARTS. BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO SEE THE WORK IN PERSON, WHICH CAN BE IN CONTRADICTION WITH THE IDEA OF DEMOCRACY.

WHICH DIRECTION IS ART HEADING?

I GUESS FIGURATION HAS A LOT OF ATTENTION NOW. SO, IT’S PROBABLY GOING TO BALANCE WITH A MORE MINIMALISTIC APPROACH SOONER OR LATER. I NOTICED THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION SEEMS TO CREATE ART THAT CONNECTS WITH THE TECH WORLD. I MEAN, LESS ARTIFICIALLY THAN MY GENERATION. I GUESS SOME INTERESTING WORKS OF ART SHOULD APPEAR IN THAT DIRECTION TOO.

CAN YOU TELL ME 3 COLLEAGUES WHOSE WORK YOU ADMIRE? (FACULTATIVE)

NATHANAELLE HERBELIN, SIMON MARTIN AND APOLONIA SOKOL (3 AMONGST MANY!)

«A scaled white children’s dress is a symbol of purity for me. The floral print is a symbol of joy and life. On the top of the flowers, I place guns-tools for killing children. The form characterizes the lightness and purity of children’s consciousness. The contrasting print speaks of a tragedy that could not be avoided.» - Alina Coma

Designer is Alina Coma / @comaalina Photography by Yaroslav Rashevskyi @yaroslavrashevskyi Hairstylist is Anya Furiya / @ya_furiya Make-up by Alisa Fun / @alisafunnn Model is Jenny Gorbachenko / @zhenya_foxx Special thanks to Ukranian Cultural Community / @ucc_berlin

Was there a specific incident that created the urge for you to help out by volunteering?

Livyj Bereh: When the full-scale invasion began it was suddenly obvious that helping and defending became everybody’s business.

If you could summarize Livyj bereh’s mission in a short sentence, what would it be?

Livyj Bereh: Rebuilding and defence

You’re travelling around the country quite a bit. What is the situation like in the different parts of Ukraine?

Livyj Bereh: We started going to the de-occupied territories when the villages were newly liberated and the cleanses from the occupiers were still ongoing. The atmosphere was heavy. We went to many villages and cities in many regions. The scope of destruction was overwhelming. A lot of people lost their loved ones and their homes. But what was important and even more impressive than the scope of the destructions we saw, was the way those people were wired for victory, those people are unbreakable.

Is there anything you’d like to say to the people in the West?

Livyj Bereh: This is the war in the heart of Europe. Ukraine with all its people courageously took the hit upon itself, bravely showing to the whole world what the true values are. The West must understand that Ukraine is restraining an evident threat to the whole Europe, and they should help and support us more resolute. This war must end with the victory of Ukraine. We thank all the countries and all the people who help Ukraine.

You can donate to Livyj Bereh here and keep up with their work via their Instagram channel at @livyj_ bereh

All photos provided by Livyj Bereh!