Jean Labourdette’s sculptural approach to painting removes his subjects from any typical context and brings them to a fantasy world.  With a passion for graffiti, he works mainly with found objects. Technically, the style and the immaculate execution of his paintings are reminiscent of the 15th century Flemish primitive.  Both Gothic and Surrealist, the saints and scenes from that time have been replaced in his painting by Labourdette’s fellow friends, contributors and muses. Extending from the comforts of a frame, his subjects’ faces are painted with bodies and contexts which are carved, rusted, adorned and manipulated in a both highly exaggerated yet detailed manner.  In the late eighties he began his journey on the streets of Paris as a graffiti artist renowned for his distinctive and surreal characters.  Since then the artist has forged a unique artistic vision and signature aesthetic over years of compulsive creation, making him a prolific multidisciplinary artist being all at once a commercial illustrator, a cartoonist, a filmmaker and a painter.
Jean Labourdette aka “Turf One” has been building a strong following in the past 5 years.  He has been a part in numerous art shows and has been featured in prestigious magazines and books.  His paintings have been shown in prestigious galleries around the world including venues in Paris, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Rome, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Also, he has been commissioned by clients and great collections such as Sony Music, Universal Music, the Canada Council for the Arts, Kanye West, Pound magazine and Le Cirque du Soleil.