Jc Trouboul started painting in 2015 with large-scale portraits, which captured diverse personalities ranging from anonymous heroes to well-known individuals. In Trouboul’s own words, “I don’t paint people for how they look, but for what they are.” The Barcelona-born artist appropriated the lines, colors, and shapes of Spanish culture from architecture, film, fashion, and fine art. Trouboul explored a process of considerable layering, mapping the surfaces as a vast topography, provoking the figure to break out of the canvas. The artist’s own experiences were reflected in his oil paintings, which transmit both a mysterious darkness and vivid expressions.

The artist was special since his childhood. He suffered a rare autoimmune sickness that caused chronic high fever, weight loss, and body paralysis. Between 2013–14, in Miami, he suffered his longest episode, spending almost a year in hospital. He wanted to express his emotions, feelings, frustration, and sadness while suffering from such a long illness. He used figurative portraits on oversized canvasses to capture and express his passion. He had no technical skill or academic training in painting. Yet, his first paintings were born. "Heroes," his first collection, talks of the stories of brave individuals who Trouboul met during the dark spell of his illness: people who surrounded him.

“Art saved my life.”