Untitled Painting

Lesny JN Felix ( b.1976:Grand Goave,Haiti)My name is Lesny and I share the same common Genes and DNA as Matisse. I really believes it.Lesny JN Felix is not the artist he wants you to think he is. The moniker combine formally opposes his straightforward, direct form of painting, which subscribes to a type of narratology and oral storytelling technique. The work evokes grandpa's stories next to the fire - if grandpa was the leader of a coup d'etat.Lesny JN Felix is quintessentially Haitian. He is quintessentially Lower East Side. He has a bold, hybrid style that incorporates his vibrant cultural syncretism.Lesny JN Felix reinvigorates the painted object. Not by becoming overtly sculptural or heavily concerned with plasticity. Rather, the work reconfigures the art object as a conversation with the viewer, a reading experience, and a dialectical Dada disturbance. Paintings directly on unstretched canvas emphasize the painting as scroll - the painting as a narrative device.Lesny JN Felix hints at subversive jokes with a satirical joviality. Lesny JN Felix sees the absurdity in the modern condition, and is pleased to share his vision via multimedia collage. Take for example the joyfully meta, 'Strategist', a title that emphasizes the artist's role as careful planner of viewer reaction. Found rubber chunks, incorporated from a road project, display a witty, 'strategic' awareness of urban surroundings.Lesny JN Felix has strong art historical footing to jump off. Enjoy his use of vibrant, direct from the tube color - it is part of a shared history with Jean Michel Basquiat. But do not ignore his obvious awareness of masters like Jose Manuel Merello, Giorgio de Chirico, and Hieronymus Bosch. Also, admire his supple use of negative space and his anticipation of the subjective 'feel' of interacting with the work - These qualities congregate around Abstract Expressionist action painters like Rothko and de Kooning.Lesny JN Felix defies category. He refuses to accept reductive titles such as painter, muralist, collagist, or performance artist. His life infuses his work and follows inspiration across mediums and genre to wherever it may lead. His is a bold path that requires grace, a sense of history and place, as well as self-awareness and vivacity. Look carefully at the work and you will see these qualities in every square inch.Now, just wonder what this skyrocketing emerging artist is going to do next. And hope he'll invite you to come along for the ride.