From left, 'Beaute' and 'Horseman'

Michael Robinson, Gleaner Writer

Revolution Gallery was originally established as a forum for artists practising in what might be called alternative media. In a country where much emphasis has been placed on the two-dimensional forms of painting and photography, curator and jeweller, Carol Campbell, struck out in a new direction with a view to exhibiting such art forms as jewellery, sculpture and textiles.

At first blush, it seemed incongruous then that the gallery should house the work of a painter.

Nestled comfortably in a 'newish' Lady Musgrave Road location, the gallery is currently showing 'Kissewon', an exhibition of paintings by Olivier Brossard. However, it is immediately apparent that the artist and his work fit quite comfortably. In Revolution's airy exhibition space, Brossard's oil and fabric paintings hang interspersed between inset displays of exotic jewellery pieces. The paintings on fabric, he explains, were created using a pigment solution he created himself. With an occasional light wind the effect is like billowing murals.

Soft-spoken and always smiling, Olivier Brossard is an affable French painter with an affinity for Jamaica. His love affair with this island started the first time he heard music that 'spoke' to him.

"When I was 10 years old," he remembers, "My father put a Bob Marley cassette in the player." It was love at first note for the artist. Two years later he started painting and so began a journey that saw Brossard touring and exhibiting across his native country. He has also received commissions in Senegal, Morocco and Saudi Arabia where he designed stained-glass works and portraits for nobles and members of the royal family.

Like his choice of materials, Olivier's taste in Jamaican music is diverse and, alongside Marley, he cites I-Jahman Levi, Monty Alexander and Ernie Ranglin as just a few of his favourites. The music and the art seem to go hand in hand. Sizzla Kalonji is one of his portraiture subjects and he says the cloth paintings are displayed at dances in France where he has been commissioned by numerous sound systems. He even has a "little sound system himself", the diminutive term indicating the age of the system (two years) and not the size of the equipment.

Third trip to Jamaica

Besides portraits, Olivier creates images from pictures and sketches. He says this is his third trip to Jamaica, but it is his first time here as an exhibiting artist. Paintings like 'Man At a Gate' and 'A Brighta Day Upon Grange Hill' are glimpses into this Rastaman's view of a country that first captivated him with its music. His connection to the island is undeniable and it is evident in the work.

The painter occasionally delves into fantasy. 'Where Do The Children Play' is based on a sketch done in Jamaica on one of Brossard's previous visits. It shows a group of kids running around an imaginary landscape based on a real place in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, with Jamaican mountains rising from the distant horizon.

Olivier eschews violence. His sound system does not play any tunes promoting violence and his stance is also evident in the collection of pieces on the wall. 'The Door of Livity' and 'Beaute' have a serene quality that pervades throughout the work. Even his rendition of a lion - normally a fearsome creature - has a soothing effect emphasised by the gentle undulations created by the breeze.

If art is about honesty and exploration, then so are music and spirituality. Brossard's work contains all of these things. His work has bridged space and married two cultures in a unique way. For him, it seems, the journey is about sharing and learning. We might all do well to take a page from his book.