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“I usually start by looking around. It generally triggers an opinion I try to articulate visually and with humor. It is
a routine I like to call my creative gymnastics: challenging what’s around me and seeing what can come of it.”
jEAN JULLIEN
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In a few words, describe yourself and your practice.
I’m a French artist living and working in London.
I draw a lot.
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When did you start your practice?
It all begun in my second year at central Saint Martins, in 2007. That's when I first started doing work for other people. Ever since it’s been quite smooth. I kept doing my own work while taking on commissions during my studies at St Martins and through the Royal College of Art so when i graduated in 2010 I already had a full time practice going.
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What makes your work unique?
It’s unique because I’m the one doing it. As dumb as it sounds, everybody’s unique. So as long as you try to do your own thing, your work will always be distinctive.
WHAT ARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU'RE FACING IN YOUR PRACTICE?
Renewing myself and staying relevant whilst not becoming a crowd pleaser. Not boring myself and the others.
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How do you start your process?
I usually start by looking around. That generally triggers an opinion I try to articulate visually and with humor. The same idea of observation/reaction works for objects and things around me. This is a routine I like to call my creative gymnastics: challenging what’s around me and seeing what can come of it.
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How does where you live affect your work?
I’ve been living in London for the last 10 years. I’m French so moving here was about living in a different country, the concept quite foreign to me at a time. London is a fantastic fusion of people from all backgrounds; a cultural hive that is constantly evolving. It’s almost mesmerizing to observe.
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What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?
I’d love to do acting or journalism.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE ASPIRING TO DO WHAT YOU DO?
Produce daily. Experiment and share your work. Make mistakes and play plenty. And once again, share your work!
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What is the most useful tip or advice you’ve ever been given?
"Add color.”
My tutor from my first degree in Quimper: Fanch Le Hénaff gave me this great, yet so evident now, advice He’s the one who introduced me to the works of Ungerer, Glaser, Paul Rand, Saul Bass and a few other masters of poster design. I was very inspired by it all and by how they perfected the notion of contrast in order to create impactful images that would cut to the chase and capture people’s attention in a second. This synthetisation of the image to react maximum efficiency is something that obsessed me. Making efficient images rather than beautiful seemed like a strange thing at a time but it was exactly what I aimed for. In this search for efficiency and minimalism, I seemed to have gotten rid of color. As challenging as it was at first, adding color to my work has proven to be essential to where I'm at now.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE SHARING ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR WORK?
Absolutely. It’s so basic, to be honest. I love reading about other people’s processes and seeing how they do things. I find it very stimulating; it makes me want to try new things. And why be so precious about it? It’s really not the tools that make the work, it’s the worker.
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How has your practice changed over time? Where do you see it going?
I started with juvenile drawings. Then moved on to more minimal graphics for posters, then to playful paper cutouts. Eventually I started making small sets of colorful paper sculptures, photographed them and added black lines. Finally the black line and color stayed and the volume disappeared. Now It’s more of a mix of playful drawings on different surfaces and graphic one liners.
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What are you currently working on?
I just had a performance at the Tate Modern. I’m also doing two shows this summer - one in Los Angeles and a sculpture show in Ghent. So these are three big events I’ve been currently working on. On top of it, my brother and I are working on our TV series. I’ve also been doing some work with Uniqlo and ONLY New York and just released a lamp with Case Studyo.
