Family
In a bright New York loft, art at the heart of the matter.
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Jo Fish and Pierre Ravelle-Chapuis, art troublemakers in New York
Obsessed. That's how American artist Jo Fish describes herself. In fact, the young New Yorker paints work that is halfway between figuration and semi-abstraction, a kind of neo-surrealism of contorted and joyfully disarticulated bodies, blurring the form and intent of her compositions. Just a stone's throw from her NoHo studio, she and her partner Pierre-Ravelle Chapuis, a (French) art dealer in New York, have taken over a spacious, light-filled loft in a historic building in the NoLita district with a "grunge but good family" feel like them, with a hint of Basquiat's Golden Age influence. The Socialite Family went to meet them.
Location
New York
Author
Constance Gennari
Photographer
Constance Gennari
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TSF
Jo, Pierre, could you tell us about yourselves, please?
Jo
I'm an artist living and working in New York.
Pierre
I'm an art dealer living and working in New York. I have two children, Scarlett, aged 8 and Zadig, who is 7.
TSF
Can you both tell us about your background, please?
Jo
I was born in Michigan in the 1990s. I was extremely keen on athletics as a child. I trained up to five hours a day and reached a high level; I was genuinely obsessed with and consumed by sport. As a teenager, my attention slowly drifted towards art. One day, my father gave me the book Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: The Studio of the Streets. At that point, it became (another) real obsession: I read and re-read, and I studied every painting. When I discovered the process of painting for myself, I knew I'd found my final obsession. At the same time, I was immersed in studying other artists like Edgar Degas and Willem de Kooning. I've always been attracted, as one might imagine someone from a small town would be, to the romanticism and roughness, the brutalist side of New York. I moved here two weeks after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in art and design. After doing odd jobs in the art world, but not only that, I'm happy to be able to spend most of my time in the studio, painting and doing what I love to do most in the world.
Pierre
I was born in Beaune in Burgundy in the 1980s and I'm a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure d'Art in Dijon. As well as finding my feet in the art world as a visual artist, I've done a lot of work for galleries, institutions and other artists. I also spent a year in Japan as a student at the Nagoya School of Art and another year in Australia as an artist in residence at the Fremantle Arts Centre. In 2007, I assisted Blair Thurman, an artist now represented by Gagosian. Through him, I met Christophe Van de Weghe, with whom I started working all over Europe. Shortly afterwards, I moved to New York. That was when I decided to become an art dealer and put my work as an artist on the back burner.
TSF
Jo, who are the influences you draw on in your work?
Jo
I spend my time researching and studying artists and theory through monographs (Picasso, Mitchell, Richter, Matisse, etc.) and documentation. De Kooning, Bacon, Guston and Cassatt are among the modern artists I admire the most. More contemporary influences include Stefanie Heinze, Adrian Ghenie and Christina Quarles.
TSF
What do your paintings tell us? Do the recurring characters in your paintings have a name or a reference to your life story?
Jo
I never base my work on my life, my memories or existing scenarios. I use my imagination to create surreal compositions, juxtaposing a figure, everyday objects and abstract forms. I try to mimic pure, raw emotions in different ways and through different interpretations: the complexity of a kiss, the acidity of a lemon, kicking a plank in a fury, the serenity you feel when you look closely at a leaf, and so on.
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In New York, we say "If you snooze, you lose !"
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TSF
How did you find your studio in Noho?
Jo
I was lucky to find this studio! Finding a place worthy of the name in the city is far from easy because most of the studios are in Brooklyn. When I came across it online, I jumped at the chance. When I went to view it, I realised that the space could help me to radically improve my practice and my work management. It's also very easy for people to visit me here. I also happen to be just a few buildings away from Basquiat's old studio. We've come full circle, so to speak.
TSF
Pierre, what's everyday life like for a Frenchie in New York? Could you live in France again? What do you like about living in the US?
Pierre
New York is a city full of energy. You never really have time to stop. It's not for everyone, but I'd have trouble living any other way. There's always something new to see or do. On the other hand, you can't say that living in New York is like living anywhere else in the United States; it's really something quite special. I don't know of any other place that equals New York in terms of cultural mix and opportunities, but I don't know of anywhere where life is as aggressive either! We have a saying here: "If you snooze, you lose."
TSF
Can you tell us about the history of this loft apartment you live in? The building seems to have a history, too... Not to mention the neighbourhood!
Jo & Pierre
Nolita has a special atmosphere. It's a relatively small neighbourhood wedged between the Lower East Side, SoHo, and Little Italy, and when you live here, you really feel at home. There's a plethora of different energies and stories coming together. Our building dates back to the 1850s when it was an armoury base for the Civil War. The building was originally used as a pig slaughterhouse, which explains why the floors all slope at a precise angle. They were designed to ensure that the animals' blood flowed into the drains. The building became a residence in the early 1990s. It was soon transformed into a space reserved for artists: Moby, André 3000 (Outkast), and Dash Snow took over the space. As far as we know, the basement has also been used as a recording studio for bands, including the Beastie Boys. Since then, the premises have become imbued with this creative spirit. Some of the artists from the 1990s are still with us, as well as a new generation like our neighbours and friends Cucculelli and Shaheen, the design duo. We love our building and, more broadly, our neighbourhood: we're delighted to be able to continue writing its history.
TSF
Does your apartment affect your practice, Jo? Is it closely linked to your job, Pierre?
Jo
The rich history of the building we're in is obviously very inspiring and motivating, not to mention the memories we're creating here. We also have a library containing many works on theory and collection catalogues. So I'm lucky enough to be able to consult them at any time... which I do very often.
Pierre
I love being in our apartment. When the weather permits, I make my phone calls on the terrace first thing in the morning. Between the 360° view of Manhattan, the natural light and the character of this loft, I feel very close to the history of New York, and it's very important for me to remind myself every day that I live in this extraordinary city to sell museum-quality works of art. On the other hand, our apartment isn't suited to art - we have very few walls and lots of windows!
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TSF
Which is your favourite room?
Jo
I love our bathroom! What's more, I love bathrooms in general. I find them intimate and revealing of a personality.
Pierre
The central room is my favourite: it opens onto the two bedrooms, and it includes the kitchen, the living room and access to the roof terrace.
TSF
Tell us about a particular item here.
Jo
I'm very fond of a work we have by Stefan Marx. He's a German artist, and he often uses witty phrases and an illustration-like style that I like a lot. Here, he's written "Sad Generation with Happy Pictures". It's an amusing, light-hearted way of aiming a bit of self-mockery at our generation, but it's a message that nonetheless contains a rather harsh truth. I often wonder if the generations before those of the mass image were happier. It also reminds me of another work of art that we own and that I love, a photograph by William Eadon that reads 'LOL'. It seems to me that these two works are saying the same thing...
Pierre
My favourite object is this miniature edition of Pompon's Polar Bear, the original version of which was made for the Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1922 and then exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay. François Pompon was a sculptor from Burgundy. He studied at the Dijon art school, and there is actually another version of the Polar Bear in a park in Dijon as a tribute to the sculptor. I'm particularly attached to this object. My parents gave it to me when I moved to New York. It's like a synthesis of my life; it speaks to me of my past and my future.
TSF
How did each of you develop your taste?
Jo & Pierre
We come from different cultures and countries, but we both grew up in similar environments with common interests. We like jeans with holes in them, grunge rock sounds, skateboarders and a garage vibe: hence a certain industrial and functional aesthetic in our home.
TSF
Tell us about a typical twenty-four hours in your life in New York.
Jo & Pierre
When we're not out and about, a normal day starts at around 6:00. Waking up is followed by an explosion of energy in the apartment: it's the children, Scarlett and Zadig, getting ready for school. We take them to the bus stop and follow that with a session in the gym. Jo spends her day in the studio, while Pierre divides his time between the gallery, offices uptown and appointments that can take place anywhere in the city. In the evenings, the communal space is filled with the children's homework, dinner being prepared, computers open with last-minute emails to be sent, the famous PB&Js made with sandwich bread, peanut butter and jam, laughter and love.
TSF
Do you still see yourselves here in ten years' time?
Jo
It's hard to know what might happen in ten years. For the moment, at least, we're happy here.
Pierre
I don't really know where we could find anything better, so there's a good chance we'll still be here!
TSF
Jo, where can we find you in the coming months?
Jo
At the moment, I'm working on my solo show, which will take place on the Ketabi Bourdet Gallery (Paris) stand at the Untitled Art Fair, which will take place the first week of December in Miami, alongside Art Basel Miami Beach and Design Miami.
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