Meet Jauan Barber

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jauan Barber.

Jauan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started making clothes in about 2012/2013 and now I have an actual company called BLUFF. It’s more of a movement of progression rather than just a “clothing brand” or “fashion”. I use garments as a canvas for certain mediums of art that I want to create. One day, I might make a piece of clothing the next I might make a painting. There is no boundaries to the world that we can create with our minds, and I want to show people that you can manifest whatever you desire if you believe hard enough.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As an artist, there’s never a smooth road, Basquiat was depressed and his art is selling for millions of dollars to this day. Some of the struggles I’ve faced is the feedback that I’ve gotten from certain things I have released to the public. It makes you pretty anxious as an artist whenever you create something because you have to make people understand what you are portraying or what’s going on in your mind. I learned that my reaction to the feedback plays a big role in the way that I feel about my art as well as the wisdom I can gain from doing so. Reaction is everything.

Please tell us more about your artwork, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a conceptual artist and the owner of BLUFF Atelier. It is a collective that I wanted to create to merge multiple artists with each other for the greater good of art. Most of my art is controversial so to say, and I use it to tell stories of whatever I’m going through or experiencing in my life at that time. I always try and push the envelope to test the waters with people’s headspace. I read an interview with Rei Kawakubo and she said that if people are afraid of it now, they will love it ten years from now, and that stuck with me and the way I criticize my art. I know the impact of my art will hit people eventually. I’m most proud of BLUFF Media right now, which is a platform for artists to use their voices, tell their stories and give you insight on their minds through pure media.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Seeing someone steal my art and use it as their own. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 6784682350
• Instagram: instagram.com/bluffatelier
• Twitter: twitter.com/wkjauan

Image Credit:
ALL ARTWORK BY JAUAN BARBER

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