Interview Jean Jullien｜ Solo exhibitions "PAPER PEOPLE" and "POCKET PARENTS"

——What kind of art do you have?

I wonder if they have been influenced by a wide range of works from classical expressionist painters such as Villal, Bernard, and Matisse to comics by Mebius and Jack Kirby. In Japan, it is especially influenced by Naoki Urasawa, Osamu Tezuka, Katsuhiro Otomo, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Yoshiharu Tsuge.

——How did you learn how to make your work?

When I started drawing, I studied French poster art from the 1950s, such as Rei Mon Saviñac, and works by Paul Land and Soul Bas in the United States, and that was the mainstream. Despite their commercial media, their work uses drawing to demonstrate creativity, and I think it's interesting. That's why I started to use similar brushes. Because I am aware of the limitations of my drawing ability, I want to create a work based on ideas and things I want to convey, not delicate paintings. I wonder if I can say that I use a brush that can leave room for mistakes.

——Do you want to create simpler works because you want to give priority to "communication power"?

That's right. I want to draw a simple, straightforward and simple work as possible. That's why I focus on "what I want to convey" rather than "making good pictures". In the past, there were a lot of synical works. I'm making a political work with humor. Because he spends time watching and doesn't become aggressive.

——Why did you leave the city even though you were based in London after graduating from university?

At U.K., there is a word that means "rat race" to run around, just like a rat race. I had already experienced such a life when I was 25 years old. I was able to make a lot of work there, but I decided to do something different from that time.

——So he left U.K. and moved to France. Don't you be afraid to challenge in a new city?

I'm always excited like a child when I start something new. At the same time, I realized in a new place that everything didn't go as expected. Actually, after graduating from university, I started sending an application for admission to an art school, but I was rejected by all schools. I thought I couldn't do it because I didn't have talent, but I've been working on it all the time. Fortunately, I was successful and gained popularity from many people. From this experience, I came to think, "It's okay to fail." In short, it's okay if you want to continue to believe. Even if some people criticize the work, you only need to like the work.

——How do you live these days?

Basically, I always live in Paris, but I often return to my hometown. I usually take a two-month vacation with my family and go to the beach to make it. I'm enjoying my life as much as I can. While many people are suffering from COVID-19, I feel uncomfortable to enjoy life. But because people are suffering from COVID-19, I want to bring positive things to people's lives while sending and displaying works on SNS.

——Is drawing a different language for linguistic expressions such as conversations?

That's right. Even if you don't understand French or English, you should be able to understand the work. I think drawing is so obedient and direct. If my work isn't transmitted, it's a matter of how I convey it.

——Have you changed your mindset in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

It is natural that the way of thinking will change as you get older. I feel that the COVID-19 pandemic is a good signal that we should change the way we live now. Now I want to live a more locally rooted way of life, and it should appear in my work honestly.

——What do you care about when you are creative?

To make a good work, you must be honest. So I never make a comedy when I don't want to laugh. But if I wanted to make jokes about masks, I would make it, and if I thought, "The sea this morning is beautiful," I would draw a picture of the sea. Make a graphic novel if you don't think it won't fit in a single picture. You can make a better work while paying attention to what you want to make, and it is an important skill to not overdo it.

——What kind of exhibition is this time?

What will be realized in the four exhibitions this time is to show a different perspective from the variations of my various works, and to show that there is no conflict. Among them, solo exhibitions at PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO and NANZUKA 2G are the centerpiece of Tokyo's activities. The reason is that "Pocket Parents" at NANZUKA 2G is the beginning of a long-term project that will be rolled out around the world.

In Pocket Parents, he deals with his own experience as a parent and looks back on getting older and increasing responsibilities as a humorous story. Also, at Pocket parents, a small bronze statue and a son's character appear, and they use various products to convey the story.

PARCO MUSEUM TOKYO plans to work on another story "PAPER PEOPLE" that occurs in the same world as "Pocket Parents". It looks back on the activities of drawing and painting. That's why first of all, there is a large painting landscape painting, and there is a work depicting everyday life. This character wakes up one morning and realizes that he was abandoned by the author. I feel lonely that the author stopped drawing and started painting. So this character draws another character himself, and he becomes a new author. While this story looks back on my drawing and painting career, I think it will show a variety of new ways of expression, including sculptures.

——It's a conceptual idea, isn't it?

I like visual translation that expresses something in different mediums for a long time. For example, if you turn "Batman" into a manga or make a stuffed animal of "AKIRA", something different from the original is born. This process is interesting. Through visual translation, I plan to express it with small sculptures, large sculptures, and graphic novels.

——It's also interesting to approach people who come to Shibuya PARCO to buy clothes, right?

In a sense, it will be a good litmus paper. It may be easy to get interested when it's an exhibition with people whose hobby is art and whose purpose is clear. But only those who don't know about me or my work find it more rewarding to recognize the work. I can feel that the other person was really interested in art, not just because he was a person familiar with art.

——What kind of mood do you want to convey to visitors through your work?

In addition to what I just explained, there are paintings with motifs of the city and landscape of Brittany where my parents' home is located, and outdoor works in Paris. From the perspective of Tokyo in Japan, I hope people will feel like they have traveled through works depicting landscapes in the world on the other side.