Musk and Amber

Jamboree” by Taher JAOUI at the “Musk and Amber” gallery

Exhibition curator: Rim Ben Boubaker

 

Exhibition from November 12th to December 3rd 2021

 

“Distorted figures, very bright colors, disguises reminiscent of carnival. “Jamboree”, the new exhibition by artist Taher Jaoui surprises the public with an approach that joins a personal style under the influence of primitive African art, cartoons, as well as the philosophy and attitude of expressionism abstract; he paints universes populated by strange creatures that seem to come out of a “daydream” “I love the way the Expressionists at the time went beyond the fine arts and the way it was taught. They allowed themselves to go further, ”explains the artist.

Jamboree” is an original exhibition that takes us to the rhythm of freshness, poetry, superb aesthetics, in the intimate world of Taher Jaoui. A world from which thoughts spring, in an immediacy popular with the public.
I see his pictorial work as a representation of the world as a whole, in different forms and at different scales, both microscopic and celestial.

The world moves in a haphazard and disorderly fashion, which gives it its beauty and eloquence in his eyes. His way of shaping and moving is irregular and unpredictable, therefore evocative. The autonomy and independence of his work allow him to express himself independently of himself.

The work tells the story of its creation, its birth and its realization, it confirms its origin from the invisible and the unreal, in a language other than that of the image where the meaning finds, amply, its place.


As in writing, the letters of the alphabet are a tool of communication with the intellect, in an abstract composition they are shapes and colors.
This construction has the power to speak to the soul of whoever looks at it in silence and without unnecessary intervention from the artist.
It carries with it the authentic meaning; it is enough for the one who looks at it to understand this truth.


During the realization of the work, Taher's only concern is the search for balance. This represents a very difficult task, given that it is the mystery of creation that holds the secret, she reveals it according to her own will and not according to the goodwill of the artist who is not master of the situation.

His creations in the works explore the expressive potential of movements formed by the mixtures of curves and inflections, drips and twists, slips and spreads. Through essential physical contact with painting, they acquire an organic character dictated by human anatomy, desire and physical spontaneity.


If the concept is paramount, aesthetics remain primary.
The artist juggles between his artificial and natural lines, letting the beautiful appear uncertainly while calculating a retinal pleasure, a pictorial enjoyment theorized by neurology and explored by optical art.

 

His artistic approach is at the limit of chance and skilful calculation.”

Text by the exhibition curator: Rim BEN BOUBAKER

The Artist

Born in 1978 in Tunisia, Taher Jaoui graduated from Paris-Sorbonne University in Paris in 2007.
He also studied acting (Stanislavski system and actor studio) between Paris and Los Angeles.


His work is a reflection of his personal history, an assemblage of eclectic journeys in constant communication with one another.


In 2013, the artist began his artistic journey by creating analog collages.
They are mostly made from vintage family photos found at the Berlin flea market.
These works have opened up a wide window of inspiration and flexibility based on the contrast between old photographs and more contemporary images.


Jaoui began to focus on painting in 2015, where he explored different techniques that allow him to instinctively capture his emotions on canvas.
He uses a wide palette of colors and textures in a combination of oil, lacquer, spray paint, acrylic and charcoal that leads him to construct works that oscillate between the abstract and the figurative.


In many of his works, we can observe fragments of operations and mathematical formulas accompanying the rest of the forms in vibrant and abstract colors.
Technological and mathematical languages ​​have been at the heart of Taher Jaoui's life and career.


Before his leap into the art world, the author worked as an engineer in finance, thus being an expert connoisseur of these languages ​​and their formulation.
Jaoui's work is influenced by African art, cartoons, the Cobra movement, cubism, Dadaism, digital art such as glitch art; as well as by the philosophy and attitude of Abstract Expressionism.


The artist produces his works following a creative process based on intuition and the subconscious. Taher Jaoui's paintings are rich assemblages of shapes, vivid colors, expressive gestures, as well as mathematical signs and formulas.
Through a series of spontaneous movements, directly inspired by the way the canvas reacts to the layers of paint and the gestures applied to it, Jaoui compares his work to a dance routine.

SigTJ