Jean Claracq

Jean Claracq

Author: Russell Tovey and Robert Diament July 26, 2024 Duration: 1:06:33

We meet artist Jean Claracq to discuss painting, his recent shows with Galerie Sultana in Paris and Arles, plus what its like living and working from Marseille and its growing artistic community.


Jean Claracq brings the past forward via savvy remarks on the culture industry of the 21st century. Claracq’s paintings exploit, in the most delicate and refined form, the language of advertisement and social media to construct desire, fascination, and lust. With eclectic references that range from medieval paintings to elements of contemporary pop culture, a dystopian view of the joie de vivre unveils a new alternative to the divine perception of the world.


In his work, Jean evokes the ambiguity between joy and pleasure mixed with the anguish of an unstructured world on the verge of collapse. He evokes the architecture and study of suburban areas, in particular car parks, the symbol of a world alienated by consumerism to the point of sacrificing its own existence.


In 2023, he was awarded the Prix Pierre Cardin in Painting by the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Painter of miniatures and icons, Jean Claracq contributes to the dialogue between painting and digital art. His models come from social networks (Instagram, Grindr) and are part of a gay, marginal or culturally different community. They interact with many references to the history of old master painting (especially schools form Northern Europe). Attached to traditional techniques (oil on wood, attention to the smallest details), he plays with the possible reading levels and accurately depicts our relationship to screens and loneliness in an urban environment.


Claracq was Born in 1991 in Bayonne, France. Graduated from Beaux-Arts de Paris in 2017, his recent solo exhibitions include Open Space # 7 Jean Claracq, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris (2020), Fondation Sisley (2020), and group shows Boys Don’t Cry, Le Houloc, Aubervilliers (2020), agnès b., La Fab., Paris (2020).


Follow @JeanClaracq

Visit @GalerieSultana


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


You’re invited into a series of conversations that feel more like hanging out in a gallery after hours than a formal interview. Talk Art brings together actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament, whose shared passion and genuine curiosity create a uniquely accessible doorway into the art world. Each episode unfolds as a relaxed yet insightful chat, pulling back the curtain on creative processes and personal stories. They speak with a wide range of voices-from celebrated artists and influential curators to their own talented friends from fields like music, acting, and journalism-all of whom bring a fresh perspective on why art matters. Tuning into this podcast feels like discovering the stories behind the work, the human connections that fuel creativity, and the simple joy of looking at something familiar in a completely new way. It’s less about art theory and more about the lived experience of art, capturing those moments of wonder that remind us how visual culture shapes and reflects our lives. For a visual companion to the discussions, their Instagram is the perfect place to see the artworks that come up in conversation.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Talk Art
Podcast Episodes
Michael Craig-Martin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:57
We meet our friend, the legendary artist Sir Michael Craig-Martin RA!!! Michael was the first ever Talk Art guest way back in 2018... and now 6 years later we interview him for a second time to explore his Royal Academy…
Mary Ramsden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:50
We meet Mary Ramsden to discuss her new solo exhibition Desire Line, opening this week at Pilar Corrias, London.Captivated by the sheer range of ideas and images that a passage of paint can convey, from a tuft of grass t…
Anya Gallaccio [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:49
We meet Anya Gallaccio (b. 1963, Scotland), an artist renowned for her innovative use of organic, ephemeral materials – ranging from chocolate, ice, wax, apples, flowers and chalk – and for her explorations of transforma…
Jesse Darling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:46
We meet artist Jesse Darling. His multi-disciplinary practice, of sculptures, drawings and objects, considers how bodily subjects are initially formed and continuously reformed through sociopolitical influences.Darling (…
Tom Rasmussen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:00
We meet Tom Rasmussen to explore their new album Live Wire. We discuss their love of art, collaborations with artists Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings, Shon Faye and Travis Alabanza, their love for Rene Matić, writing new…
Alvaro Barrington, presented by BMW [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:37
New Talk Art special episode!!!! We meet leading artist Alvaro Barrington, presented by BMW.We explore his work since we last met him on the podcast a few years ago, his current, epic solo 'Grace' at Tate Britain's Duvee…
Jeffrey Gibson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:47
We meet leading artist Jeffrey Gibson to discuss his Venice Biennale solo and explore his inspiring and illustrious career thus far.The first Indigenous artist to represent the USA at this year’s Venice Biennale, Gibson…
Fani Parali [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:09
It’s FRIEZE WEEK! We meet artist Fani Parali to explore his multifaceted practice. For Frieze Sculpture 2024, London-based multidisciplinary artist Fani Parali presents Aonyx and Drepan; two monumental steel armatures fr…
Jonas Wood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:16
New Talk Art! We meet painter Jonas Wood to discuss his new solo exhibitions with Gagosian in London. With Frieze week upon us in London, be sure to visit Jonas' inspiring new shows in Mayfair.Gagosian present an exhibit…
Ekow Eshun [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:15
We meet Ekow Eshun, leading curator, writer and broadcaster to discuss his new book The Strangers.In the western imagination, a Black man is always a stranger. Outsider, foreigner, intruder, alien. One who remains associ…