Taher Jaoui
Creating captivating and technically demanding work with a strong inspiration from the abstract expressionism movement of the 50s and 60s, Taher Jaoui's paintings are rich assemblages of layered forms, vibrant colors, expressive gestures, and mathematical signs and formulas. Applied to the canvas through a dynamic interaction, a physical back-and-forth dialogue in which perspective and orientation continually change until all elements are properly balanced, these opulent creations are the artist's personal way of expressing himself.
Through a series of spontaneous movements, directly inspired by the way the canvas reacts, his work is compared to a dance routine with a familiar partner. While being impulsive and unconstrained in his execution, familiarity with the materials is essential for the creative process, which heavily depends on the ability to react quickly and predict how the elements will work together. Superimposing pastels, oils, and acrylics, the artist accentuates the richness of his work by building a raw texture that directly captures the physical energy put into each gesture. Serving as a channel to transmit his thoughts, emotions, and visions, artistic practice is Jaoui's source of confidence and peace, while the finished work becomes a documentation of the process of realizing these feelings. Without any academic artistic training, his artistic practice is influenced by African primitives: art, graffiti, glitch art, the COBRA movement, as well as the philosophy and movement of post-war abstract expressionism. Varying from simple shapes and patterns on familiar forms reminiscent of abstract skulls, to a scribbled chalkboard of sections, the surface of the canvas becomes the workspace through which the artist exercises his modes of expression.
The concept of building something from a variety of singular elements is a result of computer and engineering studies, some parts of which come to life through abstract mathematical signs and formulas sometimes incorporated into Jaoui's captivating compositions. This element, as well as the spatial vision of the surface, once again makes a strong link with early abstract expressionism, concepts that took into account the ideas of quantum mechanics in their conceptualization. Working regularly on a large scale, the works, which are exclusively constructed in an automatic or subconscious way, actually require careful planning and the use of space and materials. While balancing his thoughts and feelings while creating, Jaoui's work carries this feeling of rebellious, anarchic, highly idiosyncratic and, some might say, a nihilistic sensation, while still constructing an infinity of interpretations and experience dependent on the viewer.
The artist's works
