‘Green’ that paints the ‘Red’

Review

When artists address social and environmental issues organically, a new age art practice is born, as is the case of Jonathan Longuet, in his show titled, ‘Jungle Me : Green Graffiti’ at Niv Art Centre, New Delhi. Developing a green paint made from algae, the artist intends to paint the world a lively green, reviews Nisha Aggarwal.

Life size human figures and more than life size portraits on canvas and on light boxes could catch the attention of anyone. I first saw these in the form of images in facebook. They looked monochromatic dark green at first glance enthralling aesthetically. Knowing more about their medium as algae (in Hindi known as ‘Kai’) created more interest in them. This zest and curiosity made my visit to NIV Art Centre. Niv Art Centre situated near the IGNOU Campus, New Delhi was hosting a show titled ‘Jungle Me: Green Graffiti’ of works by French artist Jonathan Longuet curated by Elizabeth Rogers.

Algae Painting with Light Box

Born in 1984, Jonathan Longuet is a Bordeaux, France based artist who was part of the residency at Niv Art Centre. ‘Jungle Me’ was a series comprising Green Graffiti, Installations, Photography, Laboratory and street interventions including workshops with children. The works showcased in the exhibition were a calculated display of all these activities done by artist in India during his residency. The first floor gallery was displaying the paintings done by algae (Green Graffiti) and a machine showing the process of algae cultivation (Green Machine). The second floor gallery consisted the photographs of the works done in a workshop with children (Green Workshops of Reverse and Water Graffiti). His medium of painting is refined algae plus water on pure cotton made canvases.

Artist Jonathan Longuet showing 'Green Machine' to School Children

Jonathan is a regular painter and around ten years back he decided to use organic material for his paintings instead of using chemical paints like acrylics and oils. He wanted to find out a solution to the ‘chemical’ problem. Bordeaux is a city in France classified by UNESCO, as made out of stones. Jonathan wanted to make it Green. The problems of global warming and pollution also urged him to catch the carbon dioxide in an artistic way. When he saw the algae living and growing on the stones in his building, the idea of using it as a material for his paintings arose. Also it could give him the solution to all those issues which were undulating in his thoughts.

A Reverse Graffiti by Children in Workshop

Algae, a type of seaweed lives and grows on stones, walls or in their rifts, near to drainages or on the surfaces wherever water/moisture is extant. It is easily available anywhere. Jonathan harvests it from the base of buildings and other surroundings, cultivates and applies to canvases or other surfaces. But making this harvested plant usable as a paint medium needs various methods of filtering in order to extract pure algae. Because while harvesting the ‘stock’ contains the bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, insect larva along with algae. Jonathan could successfully make it his medium of painting through his personal research and cooperation with biologists. The filtrations result in purified algae, ‘the living paint’ with a quantity of water.

At The Mall

This prepared ‘Green paint’ is dripped drop by drop onto canvas throughout the stencils (made according to the drawings). The dark and light areas/shades which give these/any painting a three-dimensional look decides the quantity of dripped paint. Dark areas require more dripping than the lighter ones. The algae may not be difficult to use but it needs a careful scientific process. And also requires maintenance and good conservation conditions afterwards. I remember while my visit to the show Jonathan was spraying water onto all the paintings to keep them alive. He told me that it’s necessary for not letting the algae/paintings dry or die. In this sense his paintings are alive and this algae grows over time depending on conservation conditions.

Fille Rayure (In Collaboration with Manou)

Jonathan’s subjects of paintings are Indian people. These human beings are captured in their various casual posture/dresses while their daily lives as old man wearing ‘lungi’, a girl with a dog, young girl and boy at shopping mall, the rickshaw puller/laborer, people of different costumes/religions etc. these subjects and the medium ‘Green paint’ connects and explore the points of population explosion, neglected growth, fundamental/biological necessities of living, existence of different identities and their struggle to survive and how their environment impacts them. Algae as a medium itself reveals a lot about our environment. And giving human shapes to it is an endeavor to establish a dialogue between human beings and their environments. They have forgotten it even being a part of it. It interrogates the notions of urban jungle, density, movement and survival.

The Old Man (In Collaboration with Manou)

The seven works presented in this collection were the photographs taken by street fashion photographer Manou (wearabout) which Jonathan developed in his own ‘ecofriendly’ process. Manou also deals with similar issues of inventory of originality, difference and evolving identities which interests Jonathan. The similarity of ‘flavours’ resulted in the collaboration between both. Jonathan started the drawings of the displayed works in France and did his paintings in India at NIV. It took eight months to present the works showcased in the show. And availability of the space of two long galleries perhaps helped Jonathan to execute his ideas the way he wanted to.

Square Head (In Collaboration with Manou)

As Jonathan’s efforts were to invite people to feel/realize their environment they have been neglecting. Apart from the display of his own works he made the show a project which directly involves people. And children are just in the best age to develop the interest/awareness for their surroundings. The artist started a workshop with children of Neb Sarai in February 2014 which continued till April 2014. He showed children his artistic practice and explained how to do street art. In his Reverse Graffiti and Water Graffiti workshops with children, they made stencils and used them in various locations in Neb Sarai. These were the small interventions in the street drawn with water pressure on a wall covered of algae. The last series of Reverse Graffiti were conducted in collaboration with ‘The Green Lab Delhi’ group of the Neb Sarai children during Jonathan’s residency at Niv Art Centre. These works were photographed and displayed with Jonathan’s paintings during the show and the original ones can be seen while walking through the Neb Sarai’s streets. Perhaps they will be visible some more time until the rain arrives. The children of G. D. Goenka Public School and Birla Vidya Niketan also visited the show and Jonathan showed his process of work to them too. A workshop with Art Muse Academy also took place.

I would say it a ‘Green Riot’ played with ‘Green Paint’ showing the concerns for ‘Red’/the environmental dangers.

The show was on the view till 20 April, 2014.

Image Courtesy: Niv Art Centre

(First Appeared Online in CartanArt Magazine, Issue-II, May 2014)