In his current solo exhibition Casse-Tête (french term for puzzle/brain-teaser) that will be held at LT gallery from April 18 till May 2, Taher Jaoui meticulously pieced together a huge puzzle combining 18 artworks of variable sizes, each exuding its own distinctive essence.

Throughout his creative process, Jaoui navigated the challenge of harnessing the harmony and momentum needed for piecing together such a large work, all while remaining attuned to the individual details of every piece within the puzzle’s overall composition.

Characterized by the intuitive interplay of lines and circles, Taher Jaoui’s dynamic creations are rooted in abstract expressionism. His eclectic background opened up his perspective on new horizons, spurring surefire agility into his oeuvre to seamlessly merge figurative art and abstract expressionism.

Despite the creatively challenging integration and the resistance he encountered from galleries and clientele alike in the process, Jaoui’s risky move came to fruition. He found a way to appeal to his audience without nevertheless compromising his artistry. Arbitrary at first glance, Jaoui’s rhythmic compositions are in fact well-rehearsed sketches driven by intuition and spontaneous emotion, splattered across canvas and paper.

Taher Jaoui is a self-taught, Tunis born artist based in Madrid. Focused on creating captivating and labor-intensive work with an idea of continuing the legacy of abstract expressionism movement from the 50s and 60s, Jaoui’s artistic practice is influenced by African primitive art, graffiti, glitch art, COBRA movement as well as the philosophy and attitude of post-war abstract expressionism.

Varying from simple forms and patterns over familiar shapes that reminiscent of abstracted skulls, all the way to chalkboard-like scribble sections, the canvas surface becomes the workspace through which the artist exercises his ways of expression.

The concept of building something from a variety of singular elements is a direct result of his computer science and engineering studies, parts of which are coming to life through abstract mathematics signs and formulas sometimes incorporated into Jaoui's entrancing compositions. One of his latest endeavors is 3D printing, where Jaoui reimagines one of his paintings in 3D sculpture giving life to cartoonish shapes.