In Conversation with Joris Brantuas, Abstract Painter

It was great to have an opportunity to have a real conversation with Joris Brantuas. He is one unique and interesting artist who lives and works in the south of France.

Joris has had numerous exhibitions in Monaco. My Art Goes Boom was the name of a series at Daniel Boeri’s famous L’Entrepôt for which Joris is always grateful, they put him on the artistic map! When I say that his art is controversial, I mean it creates a reaction in the viewer who will have an opinion which, in my view, is what art is supposed to elicit. His works are driven by his studio, so if he has a lot space then he uses that space to its fullest – right now his work is big and bold!

Joris creates abstract art. He himself, to me, is what art is supposed to be about, being out there and expressing oneself. Joris loves the phrase from Robert Filliou to describe his attitude to art – “Art is what makes life more interesting than art”. In my view this is how I view Joris and his work, it reflects something within the viewer which in turn expands the viewer’s perspective. Tough to explain, it’s an artist’s conundrum.

As an avant-garde artist, I hope that Joris will accept this title, means that he does not go with the flow and does not conform to convention; he is an artist, after all, and that is what artists are meant to do. It isn’t about pretty pictures for Joris, he paints what he feels and when he feels it. I have often seen a tag that says ‘Joris a fait ça’ (Joris did this). It is an expression of himself and his involvement in the world around him. The more I attempt to explain the complex nature of Joris, the more I realise that he is indeed a genuine one-off.