Parasola 2017

James Jean made Parasola, and it’s all about shape and colour; the way the painting embraces process, and how different parts fit together. The way Jean uses this cool, pale blue for the figure gives her this otherworldly vibe, like she's not quite from around here. And the blood dripping from her mouth. It’s like a sharp, red exclamation point in a pastel dream. The surface is super smooth, almost like it's been airbrushed, which makes the whole thing feel kind of unreal. It's hard to tell what tools he’s using here, but somehow, that makes it all the more intriguing. There’s something about the way the triangles come together. They feel sharp and vulnerable all at once. It reminds me of Yoshitomo Nara and his big-eyed girls. There’s a similar sense of mystery, and like Nara, Jean embraces the kind of ambiguity that lets us dream our own stories.