By Emma Regolini
March 27th, 2020
You may recognise Jerkface’s nostalgia-driven, potently optimistic reimaginations of yours and my favourite cartoon icons. His remix of colourful pop-iconography makes his work not only stands out but will also make you stand still and appreciate his flawless attention to detail and nuance.
Jerkface’s daring dissections and use of ubiquitous characters including The Simpsons, Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, Looney Tunes and many more make him a key player in the art scene.
Breaking away from widely used stencil, wildstyle or realism forms of street art, Jerkface’s pieces evoke a sense of familiarity, naivety and innocence.
The artist often reflects on the happiness he sought from cartoon programs during his childhood years. His work bridges the gap between youthful memories and the weight adulthood.
From geometric abstractions to repetition and transparent layers, Jerkface purposefully creates provocative scenes that are rich with emotion, energy and an unbridled enthusiasm. In a time like this, Jerkface’s work seems indispensable now more than ever.
The artist’s creative process however is far from simple. Relying and trusting on his intuition and experience over time, Jerkface explains that his design process starts with the idea and then a sketch which he builds on to refine the design. He says that, “over time, you learn to look at your work better and differently.”
Over the years, you can see his designs become more refined and enriched with movement while staying true to the innocence and joy of his youth. True to form, with constant revision and improvement, his pieces today are flawless.
He states that, “the secret is to have the ability to find weaknesses in your own work and to dig those pain points out before anyone else.”
Jerkface
By manipulating and refining his playful characters, Jerkface has been about to create new compelling visual narratives for characters including Pink Panther, Sesame Street and many more.
In addition to his success in the street art world, Jerkface’s 2016 exhibition “Saturday Morning” (a nod to Saturday morning cartoons) at Under the Influence gallery in Hong Kong garnered international recognition leading to several murals around Hong Kong and the US.
When asked about his view on street art today, Jerkface says, “everything happening around street art is inspiring.” Heavily influenced by his surroundings in New York, the artist explains that he is most inspired by “the regularity of artists painting massive buildings.”
As the circuit of street art festivals worldwide expands and street art becomes more widely respected, it is exciting to see artists like Jerkface and others share their work on a big scale.
“Art on such a big stage is so overwhelming, so grand. It becomes larger than life.”
Jerkface
