Turf One aka Jean Labourdette, as his mom still likes to call him, has forged a unique artistic vision and signature aesthetic over years of compulsive creation. In the late eighties he began his journey on the streets of Paris as a graffiti artist renowned for his distinctive and surreal characters. Over the years, Jean evolved into a prolific and sought-after multidisciplinary artist working as an illustrator, comic artist, filmmaker and painter. Today, he spends most of his time painting in a messy studio that Bacon would have been proud of, sipping on espressos and wine and talking to himself. Read on to see what Turf had to say about his latest release and click here to grab The Smoking Chimp.
1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about this piece, was there an original created?
Turf One: I originally painted this piece at the end of 2013 for a 2-person show with one of my dearest friends and favorite artists Martin Wittfooth (De Anima, Roq La Rue Gallery, Seattle 05/14).
1x: When was the piece drawn and created and how long did it take to complete?
Turf One: It was created over a 2 months period back in November and December of 2013. Didn’t count the hours, but it took a while.
1x: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight about this piece?
Turf One: It depicts a life-size drunken smoking circus-chimp, exhibited on a sideshow stage.
1x: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?
Turf One: The piece was created for a collaborative show with my buddy Martin Wittfooth, De Anima. The paintings in that show were dealing with mostly animal subjects, the notion of Soul, granted or denied and the forgotten and disregarded sense of a sacred unity with all things. Most of the pieces in the show were created as a dialogue between Martin and I.
1x: What is unique about this piece compared to your other work?
Turf One: I think it is the best chimp I’ve painted so far.
1x: Describe this print in one gut reaction word.
Turf One: Delicatessen. (The movie, by Jeunet and Caro)
Smoking Chimp by Turf One – Click To Purchase
1x: What are some of your favorite eras and why?
Turf One: I keep going back to the early 1900’s. Actually I am obsessed by this era, it feels very familiar to me… Sometimes it feels even more like home/where I belong than the world I live in today.
1x: How have you seen your style evolve over the years?
Turf One: I started by doing graffiti in the late 80’s and early 90’s in Paris. I had a strong comics culture and the murals I was painting were heavily influenced by it. My characters were already very surreal and grotesque. I was very interested in taking cartoon characters and rendering them realistically, “turning them” into real flesh and (dirty) fur.
The Smoking Chimp – 12 x 24 Inch Edition by Turf One – Click To Purchase
I was blown away by “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” when I saw it as a kid, and I think that since then I’ve been trying to blur out the lines between fiction and reality to bring cartoon characters to life in the real world. Today I still do the same, but in a more subtle way. The idea is still there, but I have moved away gradually from the more cartoon-y aesthetic I used to have back in the days…
1x: What have you been listening to in the studio lately?
Turf One: These past few days, I have been listening to a lot of beats by Pete Rock and some Gypsy brass orchestra type of music too.
1x: What have you been up to so far in 2016?
Turf One: I’ve been part of a few shows, including Scope New York with Thinkspace Gallery. I’ve been preparing several upcoming shows, still with Thinkspace and also working on commissions.
The Smoking Chimp – 17 x 34 Inch Edition by Turf One – Click To Purchase
1x: What else is on the docket for you in the spring and summer?
Turf One: I will be showing at the Long Beach Art Museum with Thinkspace in June and The Lancaster Museum of Art and History in August.
1x: What was the last piece of art that you bought?
Turf One: A vintage print of a hand that was originally intended to be used to learn palm reading.
1xRUN: Where else can people find you?
Turf One: Website – Instagram @jeanlabourdette – Facebook
– 1xRUN