Educated in China, Jobim came to the UK to study at Leeds, where he had several epiphanic experiences. The first was rejecting everything he had known until then: “the Chinese education system does not encourage creativity – you become more resilient as an artist when there is a current against your way. But I was not aware of that growing up.” The second was discovering Ethiopian jazz – Jobim had trained as a musician since the age of 5 – and then the music of the legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti: “his music became a remedy for my soul. The ensemble he leads, Africa 70, plays with a sense of organised chaos. Fela’s energy uplifts the band, and it gave me new perspective on my own creativity. It shows me that I don’t need to be bound by technique or rigid rules, and that I can make mistakes.”

Shortly after the pandemic while he was still a student in Leeds, Jobim also experienced a violent trauma that would shape him in a huge way, when he was stabbed. Reflecting on the incident years now, Jobim says, “it helped me develop a constructive mindset, allowing me to uncover my deepest yearnings and frustrations. Music has played a big part, especially music that smells or tastes like home, feeling the vibrations of my motherland. That grounds me. If I am grounded, I create, make, as long as I am on my feet.”

Jobim’s champion for The Wick is gallery-owner Lauren Fulcher. “I first came across Jorge’s work via the online showcase of the Chelsea College of Art MA Fine Art programme. As I looked closer at the works on display, his unfolding, draped canvas made an immediate impression; a bold, striking composition that glides between the figurative and the surreal. The energy within the piece, which I later learned was shaped by his jazz practice, felt electric. As Jorge welcomed us into his studio space to discuss his most recent oil paintings, it became clear that he was the perfect artist to inaugurate Tache.

As I’ve gotten to know Jorge, he has revealed more and more layers to his practice. As I mentioned, his musical inspirations are woven into the fibres of his artistic work.What I find most compelling, however, is his candid communication of his quest to understand both the world around him and his own inner world. His spontaneously created paintings really feel like the beginning of a conversation, rather than its conclusion. There is a depth and intensity in his work that activates you, as the viewer, commanding your attention. I have no doubt that he has great things ahead.”

As Jobim has grown into himself as an artist, he has reached a new place of acceptance about his cross-continental influences. Travelling back and forth between the UK and Beijing has instilled a newfound appreciation for the culture he grew up in. “I decided to embrace my upbringing, which has comforted me and given me the confidence to do my own thing.”

Fantastical Autonomy is a reflection of this growing confidence: representing two years of work, it includes dreamy photographs and ten new oil paintings by Jobim in strident colours with colliding forms and lines, exuberant representations of the chaos and freedom of contemporary life. “Materially speaking, this solo show has been a tremendous leap for me,” he told The Wick. The show will run for six weeks at Tache from March 6th. “Spiritually, my biggest achievement has been gaining an understanding of myself and what I want. I want to have a constant drive and confidence to paint. Although I’m still working on verbalising and communicating a lot of unspoken things I once took for granted – things normalized in my culture and everyday life – I now share them with those who are curious and with the people I love. In short, my biggest achievement is still ahead, as I choose to live in the future. I’m excited to see what it has in store.”