IDOL Portraits - Behind the Paintings

Aug 31, 20231 min read

European Exhibition Tour 2024

Origin of JEKA IDOLs

I have always been fascinated by the idea of ‘IDOLS’

What makes a mere mortal an iconic God-like figure in the eyes of so many?

In this exhibition, I decided to feature a mixture of influential and sometimes controversial figures (past and present) from the seductive and often fractured world of celebrity.

NEW YORK

During the Winter of 2019, I started to visualise the IDOL Collection whilst staying in New York. I initially created a collection of intricate acrylic compositions. As the Coronavirus pandemic took hold and the World shut down, I braced myself and decided to leave New York for a less populated and warmer place to reside

Miami

At the beginning of January 2020, I found myself in the sunshine state of Florida, and as the first of many lockdowns loomed, armed with an array of painting materials, I set out on the 2nd phase of my IDOL quest.

I relocated to a rural area on the outskirts of the city of Naples and surrounded myself with nature and embraced my new reality, my solitary existence. Over the coming months, the ‘IDOLS’ became my distraction, my main focus, and my loyal companions.

EXHIBITIONS 2024:

TESLA NEW YORK SPIRIT CONFERENCE & AWARD

NEW YORKER MUSEUM, MANHATTAN, NYC

NEW YORK EXPO 2024

IDOL PORTRAITS, BELGRADE

ARCO MADRID | INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR

ART PARIS BASEL

FRIEZE LONDON | FRIEZE MASTERS

ART BASEL SWITZERLAND

FIAC, INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR

ART STAGE SINGAPORE

ART DUBAI | INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR | DUBAI, UAE