Street art at the Observance Chapel in Draguignan with JonOne

We had to wait for him for a good half hour: "That's the artist," JonOne said as he and his entourage arrived at the Observance Chapel in Draguignan. With a sparkling look and fluent speech – with a hint of an American accent – ​​the New Yorker presented the Panorama exhibition.

Works designed specifically for this installation in the chapel. "It's impressive here. You're a little lost with the volume of the space, but that brings a place like this chapel back to life."

Graffiti artist in his early days

Having settled in France since 1987, he pays homage to his adopted country for the freedom it offers him. "When I arrived here, I saw this: liberty, equality, fraternity. And you don't see that anywhere else. The French welcomed me with open arms. There's an art of living here like nowhere else. It's a country of avant-garde artists. Even in Draguignan, look where I am: in a church! It's crazy," he says, amused. He who started out as a graffiti artist expresses himself here on more classic canvases.

Known for his vibrant paintings, JonOne doesn't just hang canvases on the walls. He inhabits the space, plays with volumes, and transforms the chapel into a contemporary sanctuary.

"For me, having my works here is sacred work. In the sense that they go to heaven," he breathes. This is the second time he has exhibited in a chapel, after a previous exhibition in Montpellier. This is a link to his past. As a child, he would follow his mother to churches. Coming from a deprived neighborhood, his life was tinged with grayness, and his future seemed, by his own admission, obscure.

So when he visited places of worship, the stained-glass windows and paintings he encountered left him cold. "They didn't suit me. They were two opposing lives. I come from a place where there was no hope, nothing. So I said to myself: I'm going to create my own images."

Twelve monumental canvases

This exhibition in Draguignan reflects his journey of resilience, an ascent from darkness to light. Like the three canvases installed in the former choir. Certainly a nod to the Trinity, but in their composition, these paintings above all reflect their artist's journey. "The dark colors at the bottom, and the bright colors at the top, give hope. Even though I grew up with nothing, I decided that my life would be a rainbow."

In the main room, the installation consists of twelve monumental canvases. A number that owes nothing to chance. JonOne humorously translates: "Each canvas represents an apostle. And I am at the center, like the priest or the living god who shines."

Painting as a lifestyle

JonOne began his art in the 1980s. Today, he has traded spray paint for acrylic or oil paints, in order to bring substance to his canvases, always in an abstract style. He spends nights working on his pieces, sometimes for several months. "Painting is a lifestyle. It's my way of keeping the flame burning." So, when he faces a blank canvas, he isolates himself.

"I listen to music, I shut out the outside world. I don't need much, it's all in my head."

From his brain to his brush, he weaves his canvases and invites the public to follow him. "I hope it will inspire the people here, make them want to go out, to create, to be curious. Because for me, art has changed my life."

And to further guide his viewers, he created a floor fresco in shapes reminiscent of his early graffiti. An arrow leads visitors to the choir.

Demigod, supreme guide, the artist cultivates the ego trip to dazzle the eyes.

Learn more

Until September 27 at the Observance Chapel in Draguignan. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.