23 Mar Jean Jullien. Lolo

Source Credit:  Content and images from Wall Street International Magazine by .  Read the original article - https://www.meer.com/en/79641-jean-jullien-lolo

Through the sounds of sirens
and clouds of pollution, it can be difficult to
remember that cities are spaces made for people.
Towering mountains, expansive forests, and
rolling waves offer awe and respite, but their
existence is not contingent upon ours. In his solo
exhibition Lolo at Hashimoto Contemporary, the French artist Jean Jullien wonders if, despite being
built by and for people, high-density apartment complexes and jammed subway cars are the best place
for humans to live; And, if the alternatives of country living are as idyllic as they seem. With Jullien’s
typical witty humor, this new series of paintings and site-specific drawings offer musings over the
paradox between desiring a calm, peaceful life in the countryside while craving the nightlife and
company of the city.

Employing swift, loose brushstrokes, Jullien’s works are playful, even when he contemplates the larger
questions of how and where to live the best life. The site-specific drawings in the gallery muse on the
cramped yet convivial environment of the city: from New York to Paris, these crowded metropolises have
been sites of communion for the starry-eyed, incubators for technical innovators, keepers of culture,
history, and gourmanderie. They are also smelly, expensive, and, allegedly, dangerous, prompting the
artist to wonder about those moments when he longs for escape.

His series of paintings depict small, anonymous figures punctuating the pastoral scenes of fields, oceans,
alpines, beaches. These scenes are not celebrating the sublime chaos of nature but told from our small
human perspective of the gentle serenity offered by a life in the sticks. Or so we imagine. In Jullien’s
depictions of our small clothed bodies enjoying natural wonders—from the sea to the sky—we notice how
expansive the landscape is, how desolate and even lonely it can be. Cities will grow, shrink, rise, and
crumble as humanity’s path blunders on, but nature’s indifference to us will long surpass our love of it.

Jean Jullien is a French artist and graphic designer living and working in Paris. His practice ranges from
painting and illustration to photography, video, costume, installations, books, posters, and clothing to
create a coherent yet eclectic body of work. Originally from Nantes, Jean completed a graphic design
degree in Quimper before moving to London. He has since graduated from Central Saint Martins (2008)
and from the Royal College of Art (2010).
Jean has shown work around the world with museums and galleries in Paris, London, Brussels, Los
Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and beyond.

Source Credit:  Content and images from Wall Street International Magazine by .  Read the original article - https://www.meer.com/en/79641-jean-jullien-lolo