For Flowa Powa, Julien des Monstiers’ spirited treatment of painting centers on the floral motif depicted in a lush state of abundance. Here, beauty and chaos appear to exist in tension as motifs of florets are repeatedly imprinted across the canvases. Nonetheless, the artist’s careful intermesh of exuberant colours maintains a delicate sense of order amidst the variegated, frenzied strokes and patches of paint in and around the floral patterns.

In Flowa Powa 4 (2020), motifs of pink flowers accompanied by foliage are set against a blue backdrop, interspersed with orange and pink paint strokes. Here, the apparent boundaries of the imprint introduced a grid-like pattern to certain parts of the canvas, compelling viewers to negotiate the tension between this sense of order and the liberated strokes of paint.

Focused on the physical experience of painting, des Monstiers’ modus operandi begins with a thickly painted canvas. Such method enables him to withhold the tangible presence of the blank canvas as a material object, and position it as a space for him to conscientiously work through the operations of painting. Armed with a palette of tools, des Monstiers switches between his brushes and unconventional articles such as sticks and marbles, to execute his paintings. As he paints and scratches away at the multiple layers of paint embedded within each painting, des Monstiers carves out personal pathways of logic for each work. Following which, he repairs the painting’s assaulted surface by applying thin plaster coats in several layers. When the canvas is barely dry, he paints on a plexiglass or metal plate to transfer and imprint the motif throughout the surface of the painting.