YOU RISE by JM Robert

Hong Kong art gallery Art Supermarket is pleased to present You Rise, the solo exhibition of selected works by French street and pop-artist JM Robert. You Rise collection is distinctive portraits, rendered in JM Robert’s free-spirit characteristic, conveying a desire to rise and to be seen in the world of mediocrity. The exhibition is from 17 December 2020 to 25 February 2021.

Overlaid with splashes of spray paint, this series of woman portraits add a touch of modernness to our horizon. The mark making process is a representation of the artist JM Robert’s free spirit. Scratches and scrapes repeatedly occurred on the canvases mimic the spontaneity of contemporary dance movement and the intensity of performers’ body strength. The dashing and dripping give hints of the artist’s presence and his fluorescent character.

JM Robert paints poetic faces in the style of stencils on abstract backgrounds. He works the background with gradients effects and patinas, like the surface of an old wall. He uses a coating that he shapes, scratches and scrapes until he gets the desired effect. He then applies bright, fluorescent colours layer by layer. Unpredictably, they seep into the background and cracks of the canvas. He then outlines the shadow of a woman’s face, anonymous and fragile. Drawn in pencil first and then with black paint, it is superimposed on the landscape. The design and colour combine to create a portrait with a strong presence and a penetrating gaze.

JM Robert, France

From early days, the French artist JM Robert started to created his paintings by imitating the effects of patina, dirt and degradation that are often on old the buildings. Through his studies in Arts, he was inspired by Pop Art and Street Art and finally found his own style. He draws on abstract backgrounds reflecting the effects of urban walls. His palette of flashy colors provides a strong contrast to the black colour that he often uses to paint female faces.

“The damaged walls of the houses and buildings fascinate me. I always feel the thrill in front of deteriorated and degraded walls – this is my main source of inspiration. In my paintings, I try to develop my own aesthetic design of ruins. I want my paintings to speak a contemporary language that reflects the history and story of our cities. It is natural that graffiti creations become my way of communication to the world, as they are bold, strong and direct.”

And a sensation: During the New Year's Countdown 2015/16 in Paris, a painting by him was projected on the famous Arc de Triomphe. The painting is a portrait of “Marianne”. “Marianne” is a national symbol of the French Republic, an allegory of liberty and reason, and a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. JM Robert created the painting on the day of the deadly Paris attacks to commemorate the victims.