What is your artistic outlook on life?
We are spiritual beings living a human experience, so the manifestation of what we don’t see is art for me. In other words the expression of the soul is canalized through art. I see some pieces that I made some years back and it’s a good memory of a feeling, say like at that time, a picture of my soul. I see moments like chapters for our growth; bad or good they are just moments that have a meaning and teaching for our constant evolution. There is no doubt for me that the biggest masterpiece is our own life experience.
Hello Marilyn © Jean Paul Fauves
Sum up your show…
My show talks about the loss of innocence in humanity. We are all born innocent and free, but somewhere we start to lose track of our true nature. We start school as kids and become oriented into what to be and lose our individualism. We then get molded into the structure of living and most of us don’t even know who they really are.
You combine Mickey with the famously flawed, why so?
Mickey, as an iconic childhood figure, represents this innocence we all had. In my paintings he becomes a hedonist figure searching for pleasure no matter the consequence. I’m expressing this concept in all of us, since we were all innocent children once. But life changes us, and we become what we are now, most of us with dark secrets hidden in the back of our minds.
© Jean Paul Fauves
What is innocence to you?
I think innocence is the essence of our soul and who we truly are before we start becoming this label of the egocentric world. It is what we were before the system and society got to us. I think that we never lose our innocence, we just don’t see it because of all the layers of existence we created. The idea is that through evolved choices we redeem and go back to our natural state.
Tell us about the significance of the masks…
In the show, besides the art, I’m bringing this experience to the audience by giving them a hand-made Mickey mask to wear. By using the mask during the opening I’m trying to create an experience where people detach from the “EGO” judgment self and start to focus on a more introspective experience. Also, once the mask is on, a lot of layers of your personality will start to unveil. This can be an opportunity to analyze ourselves.
Portrait of the artist © Jean Paul Fauves
How do you research?
I used to seek creativity in the wrong places and learned a lot from bad choices. I find myself now in a moment were I find my best ideas in silence meditating or taking mountain walks. I think that we are like antennas we just have to tune in the right frequency and the info will come to you.
Do you have an attachment to your work? How hard is it to see them go?
I used to not let go of my art, it was really hard for me to sell. I think I was not ready to let go of some emotions, but I changed in the past few years. Now I find that art is a gift to be shared and it’s the biggest honor to be part of this experience.
What’s next? Do you have an idea for your next exhibition yet?
The next show is planned for June in Meirart Gallery, Belgium. For this one, I will create a ‘life space’ during the exhibition and we will also have an innocence walk a few days before the show wearing the masks. I’m going to put my efforts in making the spectator question his true essence and who he has become during his life journey.
Queen MI, © Jean Paul Fauves
