Alex Charriol: On Art, Community, and the Birth of Artscene
Alexandre
Charriol
The Bad Boy of the Art World
Born Honolulu · French · raised on three continents · MFA Boston · Parsons NYC · studio in LA
He found himself with a paintbrush in detention, and it was the first time he ever got praise. Bold colours, raw shapes, figures that create a narrative abstract form. The human bond inspires him: our need to interact, to touch, to dialogue and to become intimate.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to French parents and raised across three continents, Alexandre Charriol discovered his passion for painting during high school in London. This early love led to his first solo exhibition at Sydney Muse in 1995. He continued his formal arts education at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Tufts University, and Parsons School of Design in New York City, where he eventually established his studio.
“Growing up on different continents has enormously influenced my work. As a child we moved a lot, and that taught me to embrace change and to quickly make new and interesting connections.”
Detention. A paintbrush. The first praise he ever got.
“As a child, I suffered from dyslexia. It made me quite erratic in school, and one day I got in trouble for something and was sent to detention. It was there, while at detention, I took a paintbrush and I did exactly what I wanted. It was the first time I ever got any praise. It felt good, and it was at that moment I knew exactly that I had found myself and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
Powerful colours. Bold and raw shapes. A narrative abstract form.
“My visual style has stayed the same over the years, and it stems from powerful colours, bold and raw shapes and figures that create a narrative abstract form. I do not paint in the traditional style: there is always an interaction happening. The root of the ideas come from these pictorial storyboards that I create in my mind. Once I get the ideas onto the canvas, I begin to layer, and get more intimate with how I express those ideas.”
“I have become more loose and free flowing over the years, and in fact I feel more free as an artist now. I want to expose emotional conflicts, challenge contemporary belief systems and investigate hidden vulnerability through a sophisticated road map of the body.”
“I want to expose emotional conflicts, challenge contemporary belief systems and investigate hidden vulnerability through a sophisticated road map of the body.”
Entering the studio of another artist.
“Entering the studio of another artist: I get so inspired to see how they work, what materials they use, and the process they go through to create their magic. I love to soak in that energy, and honestly, there is nothing like it. I just want to run to my studio and start painting.”
Some of his favourite influences as a painter: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Georg Baselitz, Franz Kline, Robert Rauschenberg, and of course Henri Matisse and those colours.
In his series Soulless Souls, Charriol’s sculptures express empty souls through the presence of the human body and form. These forms show the harshness of the world and the drain of our dreams, revealing a perspective on the human presence, shattered by the advancement of technology and less dependence on personal connection.
“When thinking about where I wanted to go with this concept, I wanted to reflect my own perspective of the world and where we are in society today. The demands, the stress, the anxiety, the weight and heaviness of our environment, and its sucking of our energy and life. We are living our day to day like these shells, unable to focus on love and our dreams. We are living stuck like the walking dead, hence the title Soulless Souls.”
Face to face with a mirror. Completely on my own.
“When I was younger I was on a bit of a high horse, and over the years I have become more humble as a person and artist. The older you get, the easier it becomes to accept yourself with all your flaws and imperfections. The pandemic for me, in a sense, finally gave me the freedom to focus on art 100% of my time. I no longer had other priorities, work obligations and personal distractions keeping me away from the studio.”
“It was like I was face to face with a mirror, completely on my own, facing all my fears, uncertainties and angst, and I just finally had the time to create. It was a full-on explosive experience resulting in this new series of work called Center Places.”
“It was the first time I ever got any praise. It felt good, and it was at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
Wearable art. Release the artist within.
“I started Artscene because I wanted to spread the message of art and educate the public about the artists that shape our world. I want people to feel included, not excluded from the art world, and to create a community where people from all walks of life can talk about art and share their creative ideas.”
“Artscene is a contemporary artist-led brand creating the finest wearable art: printed t-shirts that encourage everyone to explore their inner creative energy. The shirts speak a mobile language of design, surprise and shock, reflecting on art history blended with pop culture references. The movement is only beginning. Release the artist within.”
The Art Newspaper, Tate, The Creators Project, the Artforum app, and Ninu Nina, of course.
Antakly Projects, originally Ninu Nina, has been in conversation with the most inspiring voices in art, photography, design and culture since 2003. Interview by Leila Antakly. Alexandre Charriol paints the way some people fight: with everything, and no apology.
All works © Alexandre Charriol. Thank you to Alexandre for the conversation.
Explore the full Antakly archive →
And for the personal rants on life, opinions you didn’t ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack. Follow us at @antakly.projects on Instagram.
The bad boy. ✦