Why did you creat these pictures only in pink and black?

Pink is my favorite colour and it represents Tokyo’s Kawaii colour. On the other hand, black is the image of death. Therefore, it is suitable to express ambiguousness.

Photo: Ken Kato

Like Beijing Series, a sort of irony is hidden in your works. What is it implying?

Beijing Series is the work of criticising the Beijing Olympics. I felt that the Olympics is featured more from the business side than as a pure sports event. Many companies and famous brands became sponsors of it because they wanted to do business in China. I criticised the situation of Olympic’s huge involvement in the market. Additionally, the reason I drew a brand logo at people’s face for Beijing Series, it is metaphor for Chinese government that censors media including the Internet.
It can be seen from my works overall. I make my work from observing outside and reconstructing rather than expressing something inside of me.

With making works and being an artist, what is the influence to you?

The poem, Je est un autre by Arthur Rimbaud, is the origin of my creativity. I realised that everything cannot be told just from the surface. I should look at it more deeply.

What motivates you to be an artist?

To be honest, I cannot think of not being an artist. This is the only way I can be myself. Works are the present for people and I always try to give people precious time. I would like my audience to feel the joy of life through the process of “seeing”, not just through thinking logically in their heads, so that I am always particular about visual aesthetics.

In addition to the works at the exhibition, some items (DVD including a film with motifs from Cadavres Exquis, skull-mirror set inspired from Narcissus in Greek Mythology) are sold at the gallery.

Jules Julien “CADAVRES EXQUIS”
Date: May 23rd – August 2nd, 2009
Open: 13:00 – 20:00
Place: DIESEL DENIM GALLERY AOYAMA
Address: 6-3-3 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)3 6418 5323
Curator: Kimiko Mitani Woo / MW Company
Cooperation: Acer Japan Corporation, Roland DG Corporation
https://www.diesel.co.jp/denimgallery