After experimenting with different materials, Franco Fasoli, aka Jaz, has taken a new artistic direction. The substantial change in his work is based on the use of collage as the fulcrum, and came about after his residency in Miami, culminating in his solo show "Choque" in the Celaya Brothers Gallery in Mexico City.

His work, which we've posted on before, is in a constant state of flux. His large scale figurative murals, which combine anonymous people, animals and masks, act as metaphors for the human condition. They allow him the possibility of working within a broad spectrum of performance, offering different elements for an open interpretation without losing sight of the sensitive canvas of the public space. Over the years we have seen him experiment with different materials such as latex paint, gasoline, spray paint and tar. Harsh black lines contrast with watercolour effects, and these techniques are also reflected in his works on canvas and paper in small format.

In the case of his small format works with collage, we see this route reversed, where experimentation is born as opposed to translated. One can observe an extreme synthesis achieved through the careful juxtaposition of planes of colored paper to create different effects of light and shadow in relief, which in turn coexist with flat, 2D figures.

Conceptually, his work is still concerned with the human condition, its culture and its environment. We find references that encapsulate a story, a problem, a message, enabling a more open reading of the piece by the viewer. Features such as symmetry, which Franco has used in the past as elements for generating tension and confrontation, are still present in some cases, but in this new phase of his work, the tension is mainly expressed through planes of colour.

Franco made two small scale murals with paper collage; one in the Dominican Republic and another in Mexico. More recently he completed "The Shoe Thief" for the Jidar Festival in Rabat, Morocco and the mural "El Popular" for the Mural Festival in Montreal, Canada.

For the last two, he used latex paint, but visually, the works were based on his new collages, which were previously selected by taking into account the location, shape and texture of the wall. Collage forces him to use color on the wall in a very different way, demarcating large-scale plans before he begins painting. —Mimí Carbia