Delicate and demanding, the ceramic technique is an ancestral tradition, used since prehistoric times to create idols. JC Earl has chosen as his idol an object from his own culture and history. He wanted to elevate to iconic status the object that embodies the art of graffiti: the spray-paint can.
Delicate and demanding, the ceramic technique is an ancestral tradition, used since prehistoric times to create idols. JC Earl has chosen as his idol an object from his own culture and history. He wanted to elevate to iconic status the object that embodies the art of graffiti: the spray-paint can. The artist has created a series of hybrid works, combining wood and ceramics.
JC Earl's practice began in his studio in the inner suburbs of Paris. Influenced by urban culture and popular art, he draws on his references to give new substance to what is no longer as it was originally. He shapes clay by hand, then pigments with colored powders, following the codes of the aerosol brands that have marked graffiti practice since the early 70's. He experiments with an aesthetic that he confronts with the complexity of a demanding technical process. Each one tells the story of a color, a moment, a design, an era, all of which make up a fascinating collection that translates into a raw, expressive language.
His fetish for spray paint is illustrated by Roy Lichtenstein's "Spray" (1962). JC Earl has reinterpreted this painting in a new series in various formats. On a wooden background, letters and colors embody the practice of graffiti. Ceramic pieces stand out from the support to give these works a particular texture and relief. Each composition is matched by the eye-catching, brightly colored tones of the advertising codes of the time. Throughout the exhibition, JC Earl's creations transport us into the world of his graffiti art.
"Forever Young" is an uncompromising evocation of the career of an artist marked by destiny. It bears witness to his artistic evolution, influenced by encounters, artists and galleries.
© Speerstra Gallery
