For those bold enough to strike up a conversation with the 45-year-old Ferrieux and steal a look at what he is up to, they might have reason to suspect the artist is a local version of the Little Prince. For flowing from the artist's paintbrush, a fantasy world has emerged, filled with big-eyed monsters playing musical instruments, a book taking a walk along the riverside and birds grinning at one another.
"These tiny creatures live in my belly," Ferrieux smiled. "They chatter away with the most interesting of tales and beg me to actualize their stories." Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, his unique way of speaking and rarefied artist's air leave people pleasantly puzzled, making any encounter a special experience.
But unlike Saint-Exupery's Little Prince, the illustrator does not hail from an asteroid known as B-612 but Bron, a town outside Lyon in France. Since Ferrieux was young, nothing pleased him more and boosted his confidence than painting. As an art student, the then budding illustrator became entranced by elegant lines and flowing shapes of Chinese characters. "Like real life, these characters can breathe," Ferrieux explained. "Some words remind me of shivering animals, and some are shy. I find Chinese calligraphy fascinating and can see the personality of each word."
With the goal of immersing himself in a Chinese-speaking environment, Ferrieux moved to Taiwan in 1995, interrupting a career as a graphic artist that was already showing signs of great promise with exhibitions of his work in France, Switzerland and Japan. "After I stepped off the plane, I went to a friend's house and sat down on a bed," Ferrieux recollected. "It was a rainy evening in March, and I heard rain talk to me. 'Congratulations Olivier! You are going to spend your life [in Taiwan].'"
Now calling the island home, Ferrieux believes his new locale has been the key to liberating his soul and is the source of unlimited creative inspiration. "Living in Taiwan is as natural as breathing, and I have never thought of going anywhere else," he said.
According to the French expatriate, he first began painting on streets after a foreigner who had set up a stand selling gadgets invited him to occupy the stall next to his. "From 1997, the streets became my studio," Ferrieux stated. "They are a place where I can create as soon as I feel inspired by the people and events around me."
The curly-haired painter with glasses claims his hand never ceases to create, and is fortunate in that so far, his well of inspiration has not run dry. As evidence of this, during his six years on the street, Ferrieux has produced and sold more than 3,000 palm-sized paintings. An increasing number of people, ranging from office workers to tourists, are captivated by his dreamy style and return time and time again to enjoy his latest creations.
As word of the "unique foreign painter" started to spread through Taipei's creative community, Ferrieux's work came to the attention of galleries and publishers looking to showcase non-mainstream pieces. He held his first exhibition at Taipei's American Center in 1997, and one year later, the artist published his debut graphic title, "The Story of One Hundred." In late 2002, "The Accidents in Han-kou Street"--a collection of his street paintings--was released and was followed by a third book, "The Happy Grimace," in 2003. The following year Ferrieux held exhibitions at Lyon's Dettinger Gallery and the Polaris Center in Corbas. Moreover, the illustrator's unusual life experience and artistic style thrust him into the media spotlight. In addition to appearing in local TV channel programs, France 3--the second-largest French public television channel--and French production house Kanari Films both produced documentaries on Ferrieux in 1993 and 2001.
If the energy of the streets is fuel for his paintings, curious Taiwanese passersby can be considered the catalysts for his writing. "Usually, I'm very absorbed in painting, and it is only when people look over my shoulder and ask questions that I 'wake up,'" Ferrieux said. "People want me to explain what I'm painting and I have to make stories up on the spot. Once I get going, it is difficult to stop, and more and more people stop to listen. Sometimes other vendors complain that my fans are blocking their stalls," he smiled with embarrassment.
As a way of helping his delicate creations to further come alive, the artist elected to allow his "monsters" to express themselves through accompanying poetic passages. Ferrieux explained that his first efforts were written in his mother tongue. "At first, I only wrote in French, and this had to be translated into Chinese for me because my language skills were not good enough," he said, "But later on, I tried my hand translating, which was fun but also took a lot of time."
Ungrammatical syntax, incomprehensible word diction and vivid sound--Ferrieux's unfamiliarity with Chinese has become the strength of poetry. "His writing violates all the rules in Chinese," commented Taiwanese poet Sun Tzu-ping, "The words collide in an abstract but very powerful way." Medico poet Dr. Lin Chih-kuang also described Ferrieux as "a magician of colors."
Before long, his special brand of writing caught the attention of the Liberty Times, a local Chinese-language daily, which invited Ferrieux to publish a 600-word essay every week in its literature supplement. "I was thrilled; I never thought someone would ask me to open a column of Chinese essays," he enthused.
In addition to creating graphic books and illustrating other writers' works, Ferrieux also challenges himself by taking on larger-scale projects. Between 2007 and 2008, he completed two mural projects for underground passages in Banciao Township. Collaborating with 10 college students majoring in art, the artist infused a warm sense of well-being into the dark tunnels. He insisted on cutting and applying the mosaics by hand so as to avoid the appearance of computer-made artificiality.
Nevertheless, Ferrieux's most loved genre is still painting. With "The Colors" his sixth graphic book published in October, he also held an exhibition and gave several speeches during the month at the French Cultural Center in Taipei. The exhibition may not have drawn as many people as local cinema hit "Cape No. 7," but the artist definitely has a group of dedicated fans.
At presentations held Oct. 4 and 18 at Le Pigeonnier Bookstore and the French Cultural Center respectively, more than 30 book-lovers listened to the artist speak, displaying a passion that is usually found only on the faces of indie band devotees. "His painting and poetry styles are sophisticated and quite different from the mainstream style of graphic books nowadays in Taiwan," pointed out Rick Chang--a marketing planner who is responsible for the artist's book. "Therefore, most of his fans are literature-lovers as well as art students."
Although Ferrieux's unique way of speaking and accent left the audience scratching their heads at times, the enthusiasm they showed for the artist was plain to see and confirmed they share the same "magic carpet" as the artist. "Ferrieux is very perceptive about the personality of his fans. He spends time talking to them and creating a small painting for each of the readers, which contains their names on a blank page in the book," Chang said.
Announcing that his next title will be a portrait-themed offering, the artist explained excitedly that the stories have already begun forming in his mind. For Ferrieux, painting is his life, and as long as his hand does not stop creating, he believes he will not age. "It is as necessary and as natural as breathing. I dwell in the world of painting; it is heaven."
Write to Amber Wu at amber0207@mail.gio.gov.tw