“It is not what is written that is important in my work: the writing, the letters, it is a pretext to be able to move on to another stage, the light, the color, the energy, the movement of the body. Behind my name we find my past, my present and my future.”

JonOne has matured in his practice without forgetting his origins: he defines himself as an abstract painter who uses the graphic language of the street. But when asked about his links with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he today prefers to align himself with the likes of Raymond Hains, Jacques Villéglé, Christopher Wool or Ben.

This exhibition at the Clément Foundation marked the artist’s return to the Caribbean, the homeland of his parents. It allowed for a retrospective look at his career, from the first paintings of his Hôpital Éphemère era to his latest sculptural and oil works; here, we see the culmination of an artistic journey bursting with movement.

Alice Cazaux