An artist who collaborates with global brands through witty illustrations
From 100 sketchbooks to paintings, sculptures, video, and media art
The Seoul Design Foundation is holding Jean Jullien's first retrospective, <Then, There>, at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (hereinafter DDP) Museum, Exhibition Hall 1, running through January 8, 2023. The exhibition is planned by Jean Jullien Studio and director Heo Jae-young, hosted and organized by GNC Media Co., Ltd., and sponsored by the Embassy of France in Korea and the Seoul Design Foundation, which operates DDP.
Jean Jullien. His name may be unfamiliar, but his work certainly is not. That is because we continually encounter his work across the social media of countless celebrities around the world and on countless branded products worldwide. Cookies shaped like a face with round eyes and a cheekily protruding tongue, or oven mitts drawn with charcoal-black eyebrows half-covering the eyes and a mustache — if an image comes to mind about now, you're right. It's his work.
Living up to its billing as a large-scale retrospective, this exhibition comprises roughly 1,000 diverse works, ranging from the 100 sketchbooks he has kept from his childhood as he worked, to illustrations and paintings, sculptures and objets, and media art. Like many illustrators, Jean Jullien always carries a sketchbook, recording memorable moments through spontaneous drawings. Everything he records becomes a source of inspiration for creating a single finished piece. The 100 sketchbooks unveiled here are only a portion of them, shown to the world for the first time.
Jean Jullien's creative practice begins with observing everyday life through a friendly and playful lens. An illustration satirizing a society addicted to digital devices, an illustration symbolizing the Monday blues, and an illustration of a body addicted to JUNK FOOD are works that represent his artistic approach.
Every one of his works is playful in expression, yet the content it carries is incisive. Expressing the daily lives of modern people and social issues in a sharp yet simple and free manner is a hallmark of Jean Jullien's work.
The exhibition is organized into 12 themes — including <100 Sketchbooks>, <Drawing>, <From Model to Video>, <Family>, and <Social Media> — that let visitors see how the work evolves along with the shifting passions within the artist's heart. At the entrance to the exhibition, a giant sketchbook that the artist kept while preparing for this show is spread open to greet visitors.
In a special touch, Jean Jullien visited Korea in person during the installation period, spending about two weeks filling the site with drawings — from the exhibition hall to the outdoor displays — and taking part in the process of creating the exhibition space. Throughout the venue, hand-drawn works by the artist abound, from small exhibition guide texts to a large mural densely filling a wall's horizontal expanse. The drawing work the artist filled in himself blends with the exhibited pieces, appearing as one large work. Seeking out the artist's hand-drawn works, rendered so seamlessly inside the venue that they look like printed vinyl, adds to the fun of viewing the exhibition.
Opening his first retrospective, Jean Jullien shared his thoughts on the show, saying, "I think a creative life is about constantly striving to always have a fresh mindset," and, "Through this exhibition, I want to show the process of how the passion within my heart has changed and been expressed in my work."
▲ 'Fusion' ©Jean Jullien Studio
▲ Catastrophe ©Jean Jullien Studio
▲ Gate Keeper ©Jean Jullien Studio