La "Mise en page" de Jean Jullien

Lecture en 3 minutes

La "Mise en page" de Jean Jullien

MEETING WITH JEAN JULLIEN, ARTIST AND SCENOGRAPHER OF THE EXHIBITION "MISE EN PAGE" BY SARAH ANDELMAN

Photos by Nina Ducleux

Jean Jullien and OLOW are the story of a collaboration that is as creative as it is friendly, an immediate match with the simple, eloquent style of his illustrations, which go straight to the point to appeal to his audience.

This spring he will be at Le Bon Marché for the "Mise en Page" event orchestrated by Sarah Andelman, co-founder of the iconic Colette and publisher of "Just An Idea Books". The world of books will be in the spotlight, and Le Bon Marché will be transformed into a huge bookshop where books and the artist's famous Paper People will coexist. Specially for the event, OLOW is once again teaming up with Jean Jullien to produce a limited edition T-shirt illustrating the literary universe. All profits will be donated to Secours populaire.

The "Mise en page" event led by Sarah Andelman at Le Bon Marche got underway a few days ago, transforming the venue into one big bookshop. For the occasion, you took over various spaces, notably with your Paper People. How did this idea come about?

The idea of placing Paper People in this space and showcasing them came about because Sarah was the guest of honour at Le Bon Marché. She decided to organise an event centred around books, because since she founded Colette she has also become a publisher. We worked together on a book about Paper People. Over the last few years I've seized every opportunity to take part in large-scale projects to share stories that I couldn't tell on my own. So the link between Paper People and the world of books was obvious.

What is your connection with the world of books?

I'm not a big reader of novels, but I do read a lot of comics and manga. I also buy a lot of art books, so the book as an object is very present in my life. As a producer of books for my work, I consider books to be an important medium. Even if I'm not its greatest avatar, I recognise the cultural and social value of this object and that's why I put it at the top of my list of important cultural elements.

The event includes a limited edition T-shirt in collaboration with OLOW, with all proceeds going to Secours populaire. Can you tell us more about your link with them and the importance of this action?

I saw this initiative as an opportunity to put Bon Marché's visibility to good use. Having already worked with Secours populaire in the past, I'm continuing with OLOW as well. I know Mathieu and Valentin, the founders of the brand, well and I know that we share the same social concerns. It seemed obvious to me to try and kill two birds with one stone and join forces with them once again for this event.