"BETWEEN THE LINES", AN EXHIBITION BY JP KALONJI, CORPORATE AMBASSADOR, FOCUSSING ON GRAPHITE PENCILS

The Geneva-based artist tells us about the inspiration behind his works, which were created during his residence at the beginning of February at the Espace Créatif Caran d'Ache, located at the heart of Plateforme 10 in Lausanne.
 

For four weeks, the Espace Créatif Caran d’Ache became the playground of the artist JP Kalonji, a place of free expression where his ideas, whims, and poetry and inspirations took shape, giving rise to ten works on the theme of human relations.

 
“ "Between the lines” is about faces, interwoven lines that relate the individuality of each person while reminding us that we are all linked, forming a single whole.

It’s about gentleness, femininity, the human face.

It is a dialogue without words: the capacity to read between the lines. ” JP Kalonji

Kalonji offers us the opportunity to plunge into his art, which calls on the Technalo graphite pencil, Grafcube and RGB pencil. These instruments enable him to play with filled plains and negative space, shadow, watercolour effects and the more vaporous aspect. Furthermore, the raw, organic nature of the three shades of the RGB pencil (red, green, blue) help bring his works to life. Graphite offers a certain flexibility between the sketch and the finished drawing. The first sketch can be reworked more precisely, ultimately finishing on a lighter note. Nothing is set in stone, everything can be accentuated or lightened.


“I am constantly discovering the subtleties of the Technalo and RGB graphite pencils, I am evolving, exploring as much as possible, and learning to master the pencil depending on the paper.

I avoid resting on my laurels and try to take myself out of my comfort zone. ” JP Kalonji
The black and white of the drawing brings the artist closer to photography, cinema and sculpture, which are some of the great influences in his life. Among other things, Kalonji has drawn inspiration from the work of the photographers René Groebli - for the hazy aspect - and Saul Leiter - for the composition. When it comes to cinema, the artist refers to films such as “Dunkirk” and “The Revenant”, with scenes which are visually very strong and which create a tableau, like a freeze-frame. Kalonji has always liked this nostalgic side of black-and-white photos, which remind himreminding him of jazz and old films. A world in which he has played a part, in particular as master of ceremonies in the Miles Davis Hall at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

The “Between the lines” exhibition is on show from the 23rd of February to the 11th of March, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Espace Créatif Caran d’Ache, Plateforme 10 - Arcades 8-11, 16, Pl. de la Gare, 1003 Lausanne.

ABOUT JP KALONJI

Born in 1973 in Geneva, Jean Philippe Kalonji is a painter, illustrator and comic book author. A true citizen of the world, he has lived and travelled in numerous countries, including the US, Japan, Liberia and the UK, where he perfected his drawing techniques. The diversity of his works reveals his influences, both in his techniques and his inspirations.

Jean-Philippe Kalonji regularly supports a wide range of causes. In 2019, within the framework of a partnership between Caran d’Ache and the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), the artist created the promotional material for an 849 pen, the profits from which were donated to the ICRC. A long-standing friend of Caran d’Ache and a keen advocate of its different ranges, he is behind the illustrations decorating the packaging for the pencils in the Graphite Line RGB range.
 

https://www.kalonjiart.com/tag/fine-art/

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