An interview with Turf One
Coming up this Friday at Thinkspace is the debut west coast solo show from French multidisciplinary artist Turf One (aka Jean Labourdette). We’re honored to host Labourdette’s first major collection of new works after a very successful showing this past summer alongside Shawn Barber at Yves Laroche in Montreal, Quebec. Please read on to learn a bit more about this amazing emerging artist.
Please talk a lil’ bit about the general idea/vibe behind your new series of works for “Shining Darkness“? What’s the story with the show’s title?
One of the key notions of my work is the juxtaposition of darkness and light, both technically and thematically. One needs the other to be able to exist, to stand out…They are co-dependent. No light without darkness and no darkness without light. They are opposites but they are one at the same time in the sense that they are necessary elements to the rhythm of Life. Basically my work is about Life and what is Life to us but a succession of opposites: Life and Death, Joy and Pain, Darkness and Light.
Much of your work includes the use of found objects, with the object sometimes seeming to be the genesis for the work itself. Do you have a favorite place around Montreal that you go hunting for that perfect object? Do you gather items while traveling?
I always keep an eye out for interesting “finds” wherever I go. Where I find interesting objects is mostly a matter of luck. I often bring things back from abandoned places that I visit. I also have a few antique dealers that I visit when I need real antiques or more specific items. It’s true that I really like to let myself be inspired by these objects, they speak to me, in a way I listen to what their soul has to say and create the piece accordingly.
What’s your earliest memory involving art or creating art?
Scribbling with a pencil as a very young child and seeing wonders in those lines that were absolutely incoherent to anyone else.
If you had an unlimited budget and time was not an issue, what grand artistic vision would you look to bring to life?
Bringing my vision and characters to life in a feature-film.
Do you listen to music while painting/drawing? If so, do you have a current favorite that inspires?
I’d say lately it’s been a tie between Dilla and Django Reinhardt.
If you could stand by and watch the creation of any piece of artwork from over the years, which would it be and why?
I think I d like to see one of my favorite films being made. Maybe Sergio Leone’s ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. I am afraid I would get bored after a while watching my favorite painter painstakingly working on his masterpiece.
What do you consider your biggest overall influence?
Religious Art.
What’s your favorite thing about living in Montreal? What do you miss most about France?
I love the people and the vibe of the city of Montreal. There’ s an amazing quality of life here. From France I miss the architecture, the variety of landscapes on a much smaller scale, the life-style and the culture, obviously the food and, believe it or not, the weather… I also miss all these childhood memories that re-surface only when I am there. And my friends and family of course….
What have you got coming up in terms of shows after your solo show with us?
This year, I will be showing at Aqua and Pulse in Miami in December during Art Basel with Galerie d Art Yves Laroche and with Mauger Art. All of next year my main focus will be to work on a solo show that will open in December at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NY. After that, my next show will be a collaboration with Martin Witfooth at Yves Laroche Gallery in Montreal that I am very excited about.
Also be sure to check out a recent interview that Juxtapoz just conducted with Turf One below:
http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/back-talk-with-turf-one
View a ’sneak peek’ of Turf One’s debut west coast solo show via the link below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkspace/sets/72157622502222922/
Turf One
‘Shining Darkness’
Opening Reception: Fri, Nov. 6th 7-11PM
Thinkspace
4210 Santa Monica Blvd. (near Sunset Junction) in Silver Lake area of Los Angeles
*Studio shots courtesy of Paul Labonte
