He transforms his fight against illness into a creative force: Jules-Moré Barsotti, a Toulon artist to discover at the Port des créateurs

Mowed down in mid-flight. While quietly living his Parisian life and landing his first jobs in clothing design, Jules-Moré Barsotti discovers he has Berger's disease, a condition that attacks the kidneys. Weakened after a hospital stay, he decides to return home to his family, between Toulon and La Seyne.

"At first, I didn't want to create anymore," he confides. But after a few months of artistic hiatus, he finally found his spark again. "A friend offered to lend me his studio. I started painting, and I felt good. I didn't think about anything else. It's an outlet."

On his canvases, he traces his story, from the day his doctor asked him to go to the hospital urgently. That moment when his life changed, and when he had to learn to live differently. It is all this work that he presents at the Port des Créateurs, in Toulon, through a dozen paintings brought together in the exhibition Painting without rules .

Works that he defines as "instinctive." "My paintings sometimes resemble collages. I create several layers, there is a work on accumulation. Even if the subject may seem sad or distressing, I use a lot of colors. It's a way of saying that art can help you escape these negative energies."

"Like in a dream"

For his first exhibition, he wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a hospital room, "as if it were a dream." A personal touch: on the door of the studio where he is preparing the hanging, he stuck the number 407... the same as the one in his hospital room.

In his paintings, the shapes sometimes remain abstract and intertwine with each other, flirting with Cubism. He uses paint, Indian ink, and even spray cans.

"The guiding principle is to say: I died, I came back to life, and I learned to live again. The idea is to show a part of myself. Afterwards, whether people like it or not is another question," he smiles.

In one of the paintings, two boxers face off: an allegory of his fight against illness. All of this is also the fruit of his artistic journey.

Beyond his design studies, Jules Barsotti has always been immersed in creation, nourished by his parents' music and the decorative arts.

A universe in its own right

Alongside the exhibition at the Port des Créateurs, he's also taking over the Vibes boutique, in the heart of Toulon. In addition to his paintings, he'll be offering clothing created for the occasion. "I like the idea of creating a whole universe, of not being confined to a single discipline. Everything comes together."

To present his installation, he created a video in which he portrays himself and provides the keys to understanding his work. After Toulon, he will also present this series in Paris. A complete artist, for whom it was important to showcase this rebirth in Toulon, where it all began.

At the Port des Créateurs, Place des Savonnières in Toulon. From July 17 to 26. Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.