Jisbar, – “Very happy to speak to you again DIVE, since that time we had the opportunity to work together. I am happy to be able to share my experience with the readers, together with you.

I started painting as a professional in 2010, I was 21 years old and full of energy. 10 years after, I’m proud of what I have accomplished and I consider all my carriers as my best memory of life. for me, I feel so lucky to live from what I am passionate about, to be free to create and express myself in this way. it’s a long way to be here, but I am very grateful for the people who support art and allow artists to live from their passion. it’s hard to only have one better time, but if I have to choose, I’ll take:

1. – my first exhibition in 2015 in the USA, incredible to think that you travel because of your painting. I am blessed for that and San Francisco is very special for me because it’s my first gallery outside of France. for me, this is the starting point for the second period of my career, the internationalization. from the usa, i’m starting to travel a lot for my art, now i’m proud to have galleries on every continent.

2. – my collaboration with DJ snake, it was crazy, we connect so deeply in this collaboration, we do everything we can do together, in very strong collaboration with our teams. we paint, exhibits, make a pop up store, a capsule collection, a permanent collection, a hand painted merch, personalize clothes for dj snake tour… it was crazy to mix another universe of artists that make a completely different type of art from you but with exactly the same guideline. art creates a bond and has no limits.”

Please share with our readers a bit more on where your nostalgia pop culture references first came about and what is it about this genre and typical expression that inspires you?

Jisbar, – “I’m 31 and I grew up in the 90’s, I was influenced by all the innovations that come with the Internet and globalization. American culture was important on me, I was totally into skate culture at that age. I remember that I was totally fascinated by the design of all these boards, t-shirts and stickers … I bought so many skates just because of the graphics were crazy. I also found, at that time, my love for rap and rock, it’s a big part of my work now.

Over the years, I try to train my attention to detail and my appetite for learning. I never study art, so I decided to learn by myself and create my own artistic knowledge by reinterpreting the classics of art in my own way. I’m totally addicted to museums and art history now, that’s why you can see more and more artistic references, my paintings live with my age.”

You seem to be painting very impulsively, incorporating a lot of spontaneity in the process. Please take us with you on how a painting session evolves in your studio.

Jisbar, – “Yeah you’re right, it’s rare when I know what to paint in the morning or when I plan a painting but, I’m a workaholic, so since the year it has become natural to work like this:

• First step I put a background color, I add an element
• I step back, try to balance the paint with another element
• And repeat…. Until i have something coherent to me.

In the process, I can be inspired by what I live, what I see and what I listen to. music is important in the studio because it gives a tempo to the day … sometimes chill, sometimes speed, you know.”

During the past couple of years you have done some interesting commercial collaborations with e. g. Armani, BMW, J.M Weston and Belvedere, what do you see for the future of commercial brands meet art?

Jisbar, – “The beauty of art is that you can adapt it to all situations, art is everywhere and for everyone, so as long as collaboration makes sense, for me it’s a big yes to encourage it. I think brands now understand the value of collaborating with artists, so I won’t be surprised to see more and more crazy art on different medium, and right now we have a lot of opportunities to create with digital means.”

We’ve seen your works in various, beautiful, collectors’ homes all over the world. Do you yourself collect and art?

Jisbar, – “Yeah man, I’m addicted to art you know, I collect art and watches that I personally consider a real work of art. Concerning my art collection I have a French artist Oreke, Manuel Mané (German), Hörl (German), Misstik (French), Jean Claude Van Blim (French), Kaws (USA), Calder (USA) etc. etc., and I’m in a Dali lithograph right now, we’ll see.

I really want to develop this collection, but it’s something that takes time because art only works with feelings…”

What would your 3 best advice be for a younger artist trying to find their unique style in art expression?

Jisbar, –
“1 – Inspire yourself (go outside, visit a museum, walk in a park , watch movies, listen music, surf, ride bikes… All-in-all, just stimulate your brain and your idea in the way you prefer, enjoy life!

2 – Learn (sourcing, sketching…)

3 – Practice (paint)

Repeat this until you feel your painting is finished.”

Lastly, huge congratulations on having the first painting in space ever! Incredible. What made you think of sending an original artwork to space and what were your feelings once the project showed successful?

Jisbar, – “Haaaaa man it was something crazy to send this painting into a void. I worked for 7 months on this project with the space company, it was totally new for me because my contacts were mathematicians, meteorologist, experts… So as an artist it is a very different way of working and speaking because my vision was totally artistic and they told me about mathematics… It was so funny but very interesting, we all learned a lot from each other and made this project a success. We sent the “Punk Mona Lisa” into space in tribute to the 500 year anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci and all this without any emissions or pollution(!). After that, we picked up the painting and decided to exhibit it at the highest point in Paris: The Montmartre Gallery. The press and the public came to see the painting, which stirred quite a buzz. It was amazing for me because I haven’t had a solo show in Paris since 2018 so I was super happy to play at home.”

See more of Jisbar’s work here: https://www.artsy.net/artist/jisbar.