Julius Karoubi
Layered with fig jam
Polymer plaster, acrylic paint, grout, stained pine
52 × 39.5 cm
Julius Karoubi's Layered with fig jam is a mixed media work combining polymer plaster, acrylic paint, grout, and stained pine. The panel is divided into two visually distinct halves: the left side is dense with yellow-orange geometric forms cast or molded into the plaster surface, while the right shifts to white grout lines tracing angular shapes against darker teal and green grounds, creating a bilateral asymmetry across the composition. The surface carries a matte, tactile quality throughout, with grout lines functioning both structurally and visually to define the boundaries between zones, and localized areas show a worn patina that reads as inherent to the material rather than applied effect. The overall configuration reads as loosely cartographic, with road-like networks and block forms distributed across the plane in a flat, recession-free arrangement. The work rewards close attention to surface variation, as the contrast between warm and cool halves is reinforced by the differing textures of the cast plaster and painted areas.
