“As Far Back as I Remember I Always Wanted to be Myself”
Over the course of the past ten years, Jérôme Hadey has travelled extensively around the globe, in search of others, in search of himself…
His travels and tribulations have led him to collaborate with american rappers, french ministerof foreign affairs, hollywood actors, as well as nobel peace prize winners.
Upon his return from one of his many trips, Jérôme rediscovered painting through writing:feeling an inner urge to share the thoughts he’d written about while traveling, he asked artists to illustrate them for him. One of the artists suggestedJérôme undertake the task himself, and so, he humbly took on thisenterprise.
Jérôme has had no formal artistic training, and has never hidden his lack of mastery.
The result is an interesting series of paintings that oscillate between the realms of still-life and graffiti, book pages and posters; all of the paintings have been executed in a simple manner, without flourishes, reminding us of the spontaniety and innocence of childhood, of the hope and ideals that are a driving force in our teens, and that seem to slowly fade away.
Jérôme’s work has us question our concept of modernity, technological advances and cultural evolutionand how they affect our every day lives.
The reflection that his work reveals — for example “My ex is in a relationship”, (a work on a tight,barely prepared canvas engraved with a barbecue skewer) — amuses us at first, before leaving us face to face with ourselves like a mirror reflecting our own thoughts.
In the end, with Jérôme Hadey, we inevitably return to thought.
Together with his partners from Outlines, Music producer Irfane Khan-Acito and Graffiti artist Jay One, they invite you to the premier of their Musical exhibition series starting in Berlin May 29th 2009.
