NANZUKA ART INSTITUTE in Shanghai is happy to current JUJU’s Citadel, a solo exhibition by French artist Jean Jullien. This exhibition marks the artist’s first solo present in China and options an formidable assortment of over 80 new work created throughout his keep in Tokyo, alongside sculptures, objects, fashions and a large-scale set up as a way to create an immersive expertise.
Because the title JUJU’s Citadel suggests, the exhibition invitations guests on a story journey based mostly on Jullien’s recollections and experiences, retold fictitiously as a way to make it relatable to a bigger viewers. Like an immersive story. The true protagonists of this present are the guests themselves. Every gallery area turns into a dungeon in a grand fortress, the place a celebration of 4—warrior, elf, mage, and hero—encounters varied monsters alongside the way in which. By way of this immersive narrative, the exhibition provides a totally new sort of museum expertise.
Jean Jullien was born in 1983 in Nantes, France. His playfully incisive perspective was formed by an early fascination with popular culture—notably French and Japanese manga, anime, video video games, and movies. The exhibition JUJU’s Citadel attracts inspiration from these imaginary worlds of childhood, in addition to from unforgettable moments shared along with his uncle.
“Once I was a toddler, my uncle Patrick fed my creativeness with tales of his Roleplaying Video games, the various comedian books he was studying and the flicks he was watching,” Jean says. “His previous bed room had a glass cupboard full of hand painted miniature characters used for Tabletop RPGs akin to Superior Dungeons & Dragons. These fascinated me to the best degree. Each time I visited my grandparents, my brother and I’d rush to the cupboard to marvel on the valuable characters. And any time my uncle would come again, he would inform us in regards to the limitless adventures he lived as a monster slashing ranger. He would narrate the sci-fi motion pictures he’d watch and share his comedian guide assortment.”
For Jullien, a boy deeply drawn to imaginary worlds, diving into the realm of fantasy was nearly inevitable—that includes darkish wizards, captive allies, and battles with dragons. Out of this fascination got here JUJU’s Citadel, a spot he has lovingly preserved as a vivid psychological refuge.
“With fixed information of battle, world warming, pandemic and dystopic technological developments, it looks like our each day lives have change into increasingly more anxiogenic,” Jean continues. “However there may be resistance within the type of escapism and other people have resorted to it in some ways. From video video games to position taking part in video games, cosplays, area of interest literatures and on-line communities; folks have discovered means to deviate from the tough actuality. After years of utilizing my portray and drawings to watch and touch upon the actual world, I’ve moved to Tokyo to color a parallel model of it. An on a regular basis full of printed avatars, animated screens, legions of figures, and costumed characters. Right here it appears to me that fantasy has discovered myriad methods to invade actuality, enhancing it, making it extra dreamlike. This enchanted on a regular basis looks like the proper resistance to fashionable life.”
Jean Jullien has persistently strived to rework the world’s overwhelming negativity into messages of pleasure and creativeness. The explanation his work resonates throughout generations and cultures might lie on this honest and heartfelt method. JUJU’s Citadel is not only his sanctuary—additionally it is an area of consolation and marvel for all.
