Transcript catalogue of the exhibition at Gateway Art Center

Flying!
EXH IBIT ION
Jean Leclercqz-Kelza
New York, December 3-5 and 8-23, 2015
GATEWAY ART CENTER NYC 4 WEST 43 ST, NEW YORK, NY 10036
www.artnyny.com
1. Flying Ballet with yellow flying dancer
Acrylic on canvas
www.flyingmachines.be
Flying!
Why flying? When I was a child I loved to play with my kite at the seaside
and also simply because it does me good to move with my flying visuals
in a space free of all constraints, weight and perspective and far from
the torment of today’s world, which whirls in all directions with often
extraordinary violence. Primitive art has always fascinated me and in one
way or another has always influenced me, consciously or unconsciously.
If flying makes me feel good, calms me, I imagine that my visual works
also transmit a form of happiness, fulfilment or simply life in a playful form.
Primitive art and the lives of people who lived in harmony with nature in
quasi self-sufficiency have always fascinated me. All these peoples with
their ancestral riches have been swept aside by the train of civilization.
Most of these «primitive» peoples disappeared in the late 19th or early
20th century. I think our technology-dominated society should sometimes,
without relinquishing its scientific progress, take the time to consider the
cultural wealth of these peoples, most of whom considered our Earth, our
planet as their mother. This is probably why my flying machines or my
flying men often move above colorful plants.
As far as technology and especially graphics, which I am far from critical
of, is concerned, it enables us to create today with less limitations and
more freedom, to develop digital graphic works that one could not have
dreamed of 20 years ago. At the end of the 80s and during the 90s, I
was involved in the development of the first graphics computers. Working
in the graphics industry allowed me to travel all over the world and
experience a wide variety of cultures. Artistically, I’ve always drawn but
actually it was in the late 80s, when I was a teacher of French in Louisiana,
that I was struck by children’s drawings, which I considered better than my own creative efforts. It took me a long
time to free myself and rediscover my child’s soul. A trip to Haiti and Mexico at that time had a big effect on me.
There I rediscovered some of my imaginary roots, surrealism, colours and a special light that I later found in Africa.
Today I divide my life between Belgium where I work at my graphics creation and production company Altitude
Design and Africa.
Africa allowed me to get close up to tribal art or «primitive art», still present in this region of the world, with its very
creative freedom of form and graphic interpretations. The first Flying Machine appeared somewhat by chance
when I was designing a logo for a European air navigation program. The creation of this logo was a little laborious,
but thanks to this graphic research work where the imagination is sometimes harnessed by the constraints imposed,
probably by responding to them, the first Flying Machine escaped to freedom. Since then, hundreds of Flying
Machines, some more wacky than others, have emerged and more recently flying men.
A recent stay in Lanzarote, a volcanic island which moulded the artist Cesar Manrique, had a big effect on me.
There I rediscovered a very real part of my imagination, wonderful succulent plants, gardens of cactuses of all
shapes. The only thing missing were the flying machines and flying men, moving free in this wonderful setting.
2. Ready to fly ?
Acrylic on Canvas
Several types of works on different media are included in this catalogue;
1) Original acrylic paintings on canvas
2) The digital works are realised from original drawings done by hand on paper, the colouring is done on the computer. There are
several options for purchasing a digital work
a) Single edition; high definition photographic print under plexi sold with the original drawing and high definition computer file with
which the work was reproduced. In the future even with new technologies, the work can be reproduced solely for private and not
commercial use. The format can vary between +/-17’’x11’’and +/-80’’x 60’’
b) Limited photographic prints (5) high definition under plexi. The format can vary between +/-17’’x11’’and +/-80’’x 60’’
c) Prints on canvas or vinyl (no size limitation up to 300ft2 !!)
d) Laser prints on paper in format 16’’x 11’’ Unlimited prints.
4. Flyingmachine Adelaida
Photographic lambda print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
3. Flyingmachines Ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
Original drawings on paper
5. Flyingpeople
Photographic lambda print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
6. Flyingpeople
Photographic lambda print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
7. 2 Flying dancers
8. Flying dancer
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
10. Flyingmachines
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
11. Flying dancers
Acrylic on Canvas
9. Flyingmachines Butterflies
Giclee print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
12. Flying dancer
Acrylic on Canvas
13. Flying Maïssa
Acrylic on Canvas
14. Flying ballet
Acrylic on Canvas
16. Flying crocodile
Giclle print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
15. Flyingmachine Odelia
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
17. Flying, Octavia
Acrylic on Canvas
18. Flying baby elephant
Acrylic on Canvas
19.Flying Bigg chief?
Acrylic on Canvas
20. Walking with birds
Acrylic on canvas
23. Flyingmachines
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
21.Ready to fly after fishing ?
Acrylic on canvas
24. Flying people dancing in the sky
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
22. Flying musician ready to fly
Acrylic on canvas
25. Flyingmachines in front of the volcano La Corona Lanzarote
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
26. Flyingmachines In Punta Mujeres Lanzarote
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
27. Flyingmachines above La Graciosa Island Lanzarote
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
28. Flyingmachines
29. Flying fishes
Acrylic on Canvas
Acrylic on Canvas
30. Flyingmachines In Grand Station Manhattan
32. Flyingmachine with Nina in Harlem
31. Flying with large wings
33. Flyingmachines in Cactus Garden Cesar Marinque Lanzarote
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
34. Flyingmachine, Noah in front Gateway Art Center
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
35. Flyingmachine Isabela
Photographic print under plexi + original ink drawing on paper
GATEWAY ART CENTER NYC 4 WEST 43 ST, NEW YORK, NY 10036
www.artnyny.com www.flyingmachines.be