John Fou

Focus on John Fou

John Fou received us in his studio at POUSH Manifesto, one of the most vibrant hub for contemporary creation in Paris. We talked about paintings, tarot, the cosmos and dance.

Q. Tell us about yourself and how you came to be an artist…
A. I was not really predestined to be an artist. My parents never took me to see a theater piece or an exhibition in a museum. After failing at school, I started in 2004 as a juggler in a circus school in Geneva and in another school in Toulouse. After some time, I quit juggling and became a dancer for 15 years. Painting and drawing came very late in my life, probably around 8 years ago when I was still dancing. When I was not dancing, I was on the streets, painting characters with brushes on the storefronts of shops in Paris. The street was a very good school. I learned to be fast and intuitive. Today, I am mostly painting and drawing in my studio in Paris.
Q. What is your creative process?
A. I like to start working on the iPad, sketching and searching for the right composition. I have been using colored pencils for about 3 years now. The process involves repetitive lines that shape the forms of the figures I am creating. This way of using colored pencils came almost instinctively when I started with this medium; it was obvious. I mainly work on paper; this is the surface that I enjoy the most. The paper has its own life; it moves, rolls, you can engrave it, fold it. It's very rebellious and at the same time very vulnerable. All the works I create are from my imagination; it's an autofiction where I use symbolism, moments of my life, sensations, or feelings to depict an image. I like to think of my images as theater pieces, scenes, moments.
Q. How do you feel about the use of color and animals in your practice?
A. I guess animals are a way for me to play and take some distance from human behavior. In history, all animals have their own mythology, and I am probably trying to express mine. Color is more than necessary in my process; I really believe that colors are like a rhythm. Using colors is like dancing. It’s so playful. Also, colors are connected with happiness. They have a good influence on my life, and I believe they can influence the viewer. I am writing this from my residency in Panama, and walking in the streets around all these colorful buildings makes me feel more than happy.

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Q. How do you believe dance and working in the circus for so long inspired you as an artist?
A. First of all, there's the joy, exultation with my body as a dancer, the light of the stage, the movement, and the playfulness of a juggling figure. The colors of the clown's face. I gather all of this and put it on my canvas. I always have in my mind a juggling figure when I am composing an art piece. One ball is going on your back while you have two or three in front of you and another one between your legs. In the end, you have to catch all of them without making them fall.
Q. What you enjoy the most about your friends ?
A. My friends. Knowing I can count on them and be for them as well. This makes me understand I am not alone and it’s the best feeling in the world.
Q. Your main character trait?
A. Hard worker.

Kawe Canem

"When I was not dancing, I was on the streets, painting some characters with brushes on the storefront of shops in Paris. The street was a very good school. I learned to be fast and intuitive. Today I am mostly painting and drawing in my studio in Paris."

Q. Describe your work in three words…
A. Playful , colorful, fancyful.
Q. Who are some contemporary art figures who have influenced you the most ?
A. I could speak about so many artists. All the Neo Primitivists artists like Chagall, Gontcharova or Larionov. I was very influenced by the French mouvement of “Figuration Libre '' specially with the works from Robert Combas, which gave me the strength of being a painter. The Italian Transavangarde artist like francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi or Mimmo Paladino. I recently discoverd the admirable work of Alicia Adamerovich at Lafayette anticipation. Beautiful discovery, there is something very essential in her work. It's like coming back to a primary art form. All these artists are totally free about art history and assume their own way of creating. That was for me a big relief, in helping myself believe I was legit. I mean i was not crushed by the weight of art history.
Q. What makes you laugh ?
A. Jim Carrey makes me laugh a lot. I also remember laughing in front of a painting of Tala Madani.