Cheeky: Impertinent and tumultuous illustration, as raw as it is spontaneous
Originally from Cameroon, this budding artist first studied art and design trades at the Auguste Renoir technical high school, where he met many graffiti artists upon his arrival in Paris. Persistent in his creative approach, he chose for his pseudonym Check (pronounced «keuja» like the verlan of the first name Jacques) and develops a hybrid graphic universe through illustrations influenced by photography, cinema and comic strips.
An amateur graffiti artist, he quickly set out to conquer the capital's walls as part of a crew, honing his artistic touch in the very heart of concrete urban areas. He also attended the ESAAT Roubaix public design school before launching himself into graphic design as a freelancer to earn a living.
Exploring the contemporary art world
It was in 2013 that the street artist made his mark on the contemporary art scene with his bold technique of spontaneous drawing, blending social critique and the absurd. For the creation of the poster for the group exhibition Get Freaky In Paris, he imagines a portrait composed of multiple superimposed elements. A creation that oscillates between burlesque illustrations and caustic realism, in a style not entirely alien to that of the dark universe of the American comic book author Charles Burns. He too likes the minimalism of the black and white format, the horror of conformity and the taste for the absurd, where characters with features as stark as they are comical depict Societal issues.
Two years later, in 2015, the Favela Chic, located in the central Parisian district of République, offers him the chance to exhibit his works solo. The following year, he designs in chalk The mural Europe of possibilities, on the wall of the Recyclerie near Gare Ornano in the 18th arrondissement of the capital.
In his drawings, he enjoys depicting portraits of contemporary cultural icons, such as the rappers Alkapote or Damso, whose face is full from a myriad of elements that tell a «small» or «big» story. The characters he imagines through his illustrations like to burn the candle at both ends. They consume excessively, get candidly drunk, and fantasise about material opulence. In short, they become, as the artist himself describes them, Analogies for the human condition.
In 2017, one year before joining the street art team of the creative event and team-building agency Street Designers, it is found on display again, this time at the Batofar on the banks of the Seine, to You assure shoe. During this cultural event focused on hip-hop and RnB, Check has chosen to show viewers sketches of trainers designed by her.
The artist is no longer confined to canvases and building facades; they are now applying their skills to other mediums such as trainers. This is particularly the case for Sneakers Generation, currently at the Sakura Gallery, for which he decorated a single pair of Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid triple white, size 42, with his dark pop style, in pale colours. It is not a collector's pair, but a single shoe transformed into a unique work of art. In this vein of transforming everyday objects, and driven by his taste for fashion, he also tackles textiles for the creation of themed jackets. And also fruits, which seem to have been picked from a dreamlike planet, to tell his stories of staged controlled chaos.
Shortly before the pandemic began, in May 2019, her artistic approach was exported to the regions when she was invited to exhibit her works, among 23 artists, at the launch of the Touques en fête association in the Calvados department.
Some of his creations can today be found at The Vanguard In Aubervilliers, a boutique committed to promoting fashion and urban art within a space that blends into a contemporary art gallery.
The workshops run by Ckeja at Street Designers
Since arriving in 2013 at the heart of the team of artists from the Street Designers arts production company, Check to win over various clients through its services playful, initiatory and always spectacular. Number of companies that wished to discover the activities of Team building offered by The leader in creative events in France, had the good fortune to be able to retrieve one of his works created on that occasion.
Whether it's Live painting in front of an audience of spectators, breathtaking Wall murals aimed at representing the values championed by a company within its own premises, Customisation bars of items during events, graffiti initiation and in Pop Art, The artist Ckeja resolutely set out to make full use of his incredible skills in order to to teach and raise awareness among a non-expert audience about street art.
Writing by @Michel-Angélo Fadida
