Jean Jullien, Sophie Douala, James Barnett: Tickets now available for February’s Nicer Tuesdays!

It’s time to dust off those festive cobwebs and get yourself a healthy dose of creativity! Nicer Tuesdays is back with a fresh line-up to get your 2024 off to a great start.

We’ve got three amazing speakers lined up. To kick things off, the filmmaker James Barnett will be talking us through his 15-year-long project documenting his iconic parents – who regularly go viral on TikTok – while visual artist Sophie Douala will give us an insight into the process behind her mesmerising gradient graphic artworks, touching on some of the key projects across her career. Then Jean Jullien, the illustrious graphic designer and illustrator known for his charming characters, will be sitting down for a Q&A with It’s Nice That’s editor-in-chief Matt Alagiah.

The event will take place on 6 February with doors opening at 6pm. As this is an 18+ event, please bring ID with you to the venue. If you are in need of disability access, please make yourself known to a member of the EartH team on the evening or email hello@nicertuesdays.com so we can arrange assistance. Read on to find out more about our incredible panel of speakers.

French illustrator and graphic artist Jean Jullien is one of the industry’s best known and highly respected creatives. And it’s no surprise – his works encapsulate a breadth of emotion, charming characters, sunny palettes and penchant for humour in seemingly effortless line drawings. In recent years, Jean has really sunk into his passion for all things seaside, with his underwater exhibition for kids, his sea-filled exhibition on happiness, and a series of hand-painted surfboards made to look like cute sea creatures. This February, he’ll be sitting down to talk us through his whole career so far, from graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2008 to becoming one of the most loved illustrators working today.

In Sophie Douala’s pieces, hazy colours, rich patterns and meditative motion design all come together to create a body of work that is the visual equivalent of sinking into a warm, scented bath. Originally having dreams of becoming a fashion designer, at university they got “hooked” on print design, an obsession that’s still evident in her work and one that led her towards graphic design and illustration. Since then, they’ve lent their lovely work to the BBC Philharmonic, Boiler Room and recently designed a publication for Fashion for Good, the world’s first sustainable fashion museum.

For 15 years the filmmaker James Barnett has been documenting the lives of his parents. Capturing mundane moments of their everyday life – TV watching, trifle eating and Christmas dinners – James’ low-fi mini documentaries shine a light on his parents’ endearing personalities and funny interactions, and put the stark differences between generations on display. Inspired by Big Brother, The Royle Family and even lauded as “better than the Kardashians”, James’ work has resonated with many, and since he started posting his works on TikTok James has found he’s amassed a loyal (and large) fanbase. At Nicer Tuesdays, he’ll be talking us through his unique short-form videos, and what it’s like creating content with your family.