Jaouen SALAÜN Elecboy

With Elecboy (Dargaud) Jaouen Salaün has produced an epic saga of futuristic and post-apocalyptic dimensions that draws its inspiration from deep-seated human fears, both primitive and contemporary, concerning the decline of human civilisations, transhumanism and the disquieting advancements in the world of AI, as well as intergenerational transmission and the relationship we entertain with our fathers. From 10 February to 2 March 2024, Huberty & Breyne is delighted to be showing a selection of original plates from each of the four volumes in the series, together with several new large-format illustrations created for the exhibition.

It is difficult to appreciate the minute detail of Jaouen Salaün's original plates simply from reading the colour-printed albums. Executed in Indian ink, these works are incredibly delicate. Each frame is meaningful, each image clearly intelligible. Switching between different drawing implements, different-sized brushes, Jaouen influences how we read these compositions, creating a mood that is utterly unambiguous. He puts all his talent in the service of his story, equally comfortable with action scenes and scenes of quiet contemplation, with technical drawings involving mechanics and microprocessors and dreamlike settings that rely on a wash technique. The large-format illustrations adopt a different approach in which Jaouen uses a dry technique, essentially that of single-colour pastel, to explore the texture of the universe.

Jaouen Salaün was born on 7 May 1979 in Ganges, in the French department of Hérault. A great sports enthusiast who is particularly passionate about athletics, he originally dreamt of becoming a professional sportsman. Jaouen began drawing around the age of 16 after making an amazing discovery in an attic a box of comic books by the legendary Moebius, Tanino Liberatore, Paul Gillon, Juan Giménez and others. Starting from scratch, he approached drawing the way he had approached sport, applying himself with rigour and determination to developing a drawing technique that possesses a quality of academic realism.

Between 1999 and 2003, Jaouen studied at the Émile-Cohl Institute in Lyon. In 2003, his illustration work was selected in the fiction section at the Bologna Children's Book Fair and between 2003 and 2006 he collaborated with several children's book publishers, including Nathan, Hatier, Magnard and Rageot. That year, 2006, marked the publication of Jaouen?s first comic book, Nova, written by Julien Blondel and published by Soleil, with the second volume appearing in 2008. For Christophe Bec, Jaouen illustrated a spin-off of the Carthago series (Humanoïdes Associés), Carthago Adventures, the first volume of which appeared in 2011, and in 2015 the two of them collaborated on a new science fiction series entitled Eternum (Casterman), volume 3 appearing in 2017. Since 2009, Jaouen has also been working as a storyboarder, primarily for the Pavillon noir advertising agency, and occasionally creating covers for novels and comic books. In 2021, he completed two solo comic projects: volume 1 of Elecboy (Dargaud) and Juste une fois (Humanoïdes Associés).


PRIVATE VIEW  
Friday 9 February 2024, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm

EXHIBITION
From Saturday 10 February 2024
to Saturday 2 March 2024
Free entry

BRUXELLES | Châtelain
33, place du Châtelain
Wednesday > Saturday 11.00 am - 6.00 pm