Cover James Jean (Photo: Johnnie Walker)
James Jean (Photo: Johnnie Walker)
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Visual artist James Jean expounds on his latest limited-edition design for Johnnie Walker Blue Label, his creative process, and his views about AI technology in the creative industry
Widely hailed as one of the world’s most influential visual artists, James Jean lends his vivid viewpoint in conceiving the new Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition Design. “I was excited and honoured to create the bottle for this very auspicious year,” Jean enthuses.
Inspiration struck swiftly for the Taiwanese-American illustrator behind some of Hollywood’s most strikingly intricate movie posters, including Blade Runner 2049, Mother!, The Shape of Water and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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“I wanted to create a dragon that felt traditional but also fresh and new,” he explains, conscious of his intention to ensure the design would reflect the vibrant maximalism that echoes throughout his oeuvre.
“I worked hard to create a version of my dragon that felt like it evolved from your typical Asian dragon. Being the year of the Wood Dragon, this dragon has branches for horns, petals and flowers that give it a surreal touch,” the seven-time Eisner Award winner remarks.
Above James Jean (Photo: Johnnie Walker)
Above Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year Limited Edition (Photo: Johnnie Walker)
James Jean (Photo: Johnnie Walker)
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“The idea of the Wood Dragon having roots that branch out references a connection to the past and roots to your ancestors,” Jean mentions, thoughtful about his visual narrative.
“I want people to be able to peel back the different layers as they drink in all the details amidst the dragon besides surrounding chrysanthemums, flowers that mimic exploding fireworks, and hummingbirds sipping nectar from the blooms. Just as drinking Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a very layered experience, I want the artwork to evoke the same feeling.” Powerful symbols in Asian culture, chrysanthemums are synonymous with longevity, as hummingbirds carry the spirit of happiness, symbolising joy and good luck. Both motifs also frequently recur in various forms in Jean’s work.
See also: Chinese New Year 2024: The most stylish capsule collections for the Year of the Dragon
Although it was Jean’s first time trying his hand at packaging design, the process began much the same as any of his paintings. “Everything begins with a sketch: a simple pencil drawing on paper,” he remarks. Describing the process as “smooth and fulfilling,” Jean says, ”I am grateful to be given a lot of freedom to create my own world and inject that into the packaging.”
He is excited about seeing his art manifest as a physical product that can be gifted and savoured, a pleasant change from the singular nature of his paintings and sculptures. “It’s exciting to see how people engage with it, and knowing they will see it when they travel, at airports.”
Everything Everywhere All At Once - Digital, 2022 (Photo: James Jean)
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Passionate about drawing since he was three years old, Jean’s love of art focuses on the beauty of “lyrical” linework. This summer, he is fully committed to his next solo exhibition at the Vancouver Centre of International Contemporary Art (CICA Vancouver).
As far as specific themes go, it’s a work in progress. “When I am creating art, I kind of don’t know what I’m doing–it reveals itself to me when the work is complete,” Jean explains, honest about his organic creative process. He has previously worked on special projects with fashion houses such as Yohji Yamamoto and Prada, hinting at an upcoming collaboration in the spring with an undisclosed label.
“This past year, I had three large solo museum shows, and they were all retrospectives that covered my practice in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and animation. The through line for everything is always drawing, which comes from a very intuitive source: my imagination,” Jean recalls.
He fuels up on Eastern and Western influences alike, including American comics, Japanese manga and animation, various indigenous arts like West African masquerades, Assyrian wall reliefs, etchings from Albrecht Dürer, the works of Hieronymus Bosch and more. “From popular culture to deep in our history, the inspiration mashes up, and what ties it all together is drawing. If you think about comics and trace back to cave paintings—it’s all about that humble line.”
Eternal Spiral was the first major museum exhibition in China of James Jean at the Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai (Photo: galleryAll)
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Asked about his views on AI art and the potential of seeing his distinctive art style exploited, Jean offers a balanced stance. “I may be a little fatalistic in that it’s hard to defeat the tidal wave of AI content coming our way. I am exploring [AI], always interested in new technologies and techniques. I don’t feel threatened by it, perhaps because I am so involved in my own work that I don’t feel the existential threat that I read a lot about on social media,” Jean admits.
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Aware of how this pervasive technology is a frightening force in the creative industry and that his work frequently feeds data sets, Jean sees much room for improvement. “Other artists have led lawsuits against these [AI] companies, and I don't disagree with them. Artists get overlooked too often and should get royalties from being used in these massive data sets. It would be nice to have a Spotify-type model, wherein if our names drive prompts, we receive some compensation for it,” he suggests.
Chrysanthemum - Digital, 2019 (Photo: James Jean)
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“The most fulfilling feedback I get is that my work inspires others to be creative,” Jean shares, pleased that audiences and artists alike can connect to the “unrestrained freedom” of his work. He aims to break boundaries he sees artists impose on themselves, urging the exploration of new avenues.
“I enjoy projects like movie posters and fashion collaborations because they engage a large audience while allowing the artwork to exist in different arenas. I hope this kind of creativity will encourage people to feel free to pursue their dreams.”
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