John-Paul Philippe presents ‘Ombre’, an evocative show at Cristina Grajales, New York
New York gallerist Cristina Grajales presents ‘Ombre’ by John-Paul Philippe (until 28 April 2023): the artist tells us about this new body of work, and finding inspiration in parakeets
![John-Paul Philippe at Cristina Grajales](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kWUJttfQpvCVRUXgkXkyMT-415-80.jpg)
For the inaugural group exhibition at Cristina Grajales gallery’s Tribeca location in 2022, John-Paul Philippe produced two paintings that pushed the limits of his practice in style and material. Grajales was enamoured. Now, the gallery is exhibiting ‘Ombres’ (until 28 April 2023), a show of his newest artworks in this same, evocative vein.
John-Paul Philippe: 'Ombres'
As a continuation of his previous experimentations, Philippe’s latest wall-hung pieces circumvent rigidity, gesturing onto the canvas with well-directed looseness. These characteristics are enforced by the introduction of a new material: burlap.
Manipulating the burlap across or, at times, underneath the paint, Philippe creates ‘lapses’, as Grajales calls them: pulling, lacerating, or fraying the burlap. These interventions into its tightly gridded pattern are, in a sense, a parallel to the free-form nature of the body of works overall; this freedom, however, belies the precision and deliberation of the burlap’s handmade inconsistencies. These manoeuvrings call attention to the colours, forms, or painterly moments that are behind or beyond the material, existing in and emphasised by its lapsed spaces, and speaking of stories much more specific than first meets the eye.
Working from rural Connecticut, Philippe is immersed in the natural world. He cultivates a flower-sprinkled meadow and native plant gardens across his 5.5-acre property (which was a former bird sanctuary). A company of parakeets – at one point there were up to 12 of them – live in his studio, which seasonally moves between the loft of a converted barn and a high-ceilinged, screened-in porch.
'They land on the paintings,' he says, 'and they fly around the studio.' He credits the parakeets for quite literal inspiration, citing their 'patterns and the forms of their little beaks' as reference points for the shapes employed in his latest work. 'The paintings actually mimic the plumage and the colouration, too,' he says, resonant in the way yellow greens burst through the canvases’ more earthen tones. There are even motifs in the paintings that harken to the 'drip-like forms' of the parakeets’ droppings – an unexpectedly fertile source of inspiration.
'He’s very in tune with nature,' says Grajales, who is smitten with Philippe’s sentimentality toward flora and fauna, and how he conveys it in his art. 'I think that’s what makes these pieces so captivating.' She muses on each evocation she discovers in the biomorphic artworks: birds, insects, the sun. One of the art’s attributes, though, is that each person has the opportunity to find something different within it: the shapes of eyes and ears, the gesticulations of a sprouting stalk’s first curl, a butterfly wing, a petal.
Curated alongside Philippe’s exhibition are select designs by Mark Grattan, including 12 never-before-shown stools in sumptuous upholstery and supple suedes. The dialogue between the two artists hinges on the textile-forward tactility of each of their works, creating a narrative arc that ties the natural worlds conjured from Philippe’s canvases to the flashes of urbanity connoted in the chrome and brass details of Grattan’s furniture.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
'It’s a beautiful conversation,' Grajales says of Grattan’s work alongside Philippe’s. 'They are both romantic, in a way. Together, they are poetic.'
'Ombres' is on view at Cristina Grajales gallery through 28 April 2023. 50 Vestry St New York, NY 10013. cristinagrajales.com
Emily R. Pellerin is a Brooklyn-based writer and strategist with a focus on art, design and creative communities. Rooted in design research and journalistic principles, her overall work focuses on storytelling, including essays, research, and reporting that cover the art and design spheres with a particular interest in the prismatic effects of industrial complexes. Her writing has been published in Wallpaper*, Pin-Up, Core77, Cultured Magazine, Dwell, Flaunt, and more.
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Nona Faustine confronts the past in New York
Artist Nona Faustine reframes New York's colonial past in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Casa Bosques’ queer-themed book curation comes to New York’s East Village
In Pride Month 2024, Casa Bosques’ pop-up bookstore in The Standard hotel, East Village, offers a stylish haven for literary mavens
By Hannah Silver Published
-
‘Very few museums were interested in my work until recently’: Amalia Mesa-Bains on her first-ever retrospective
‘Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory’ is a long-overdue exhibition at El Museo del Barrio in New York celebrating five decades of the trailblazing Chicanx artist
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Frieze New York 2024: what to see in and around the city
Frieze New York 2024 (until Sunday 5 May) sees the city’s ample spring season programming celebrated at The Shed
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Calling NYC grads! Sarabande Foundation invites you to an industry masterclass to pave way into the creative world
‘What Now?’ by Sarabande Foundation is a post-college guide to support graduates in making their next steps, with advice from the likes of Burberry, Thom Browne, and more
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘I don't know what art is, but we have to make these things to understand ourselves’: Antony Gormley in New York
Wallpaper* meets Antony Gormley as his new exhibition, ‘Aerial’ opens at White Cube New York
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The New York art exhibitions to see in July
Read our pick of the best New York art exhibitions to see in July, from Jenny Holzer’s ‘Light Line’ at The Guggenheim to ‘Cosmography: an exploration of space and humanity’ at Templon
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Surreal, uncanny, seductive: step into Graham Little’s world
Scottish artist Graham Little presents his first US retrospective at The FLAG Art Foundation in New York
By Hannah Silver Published