Jean Paul Forest
Jean Paul Forest lived and worked in Tahiti and Mo'orea, French Polynesia.
A self-taught visual artist, he explores the introduction of human traces in stone, through movable pieces and landscape works. Each stage of a production – whether it is made in situ or in a workshop – is memorialised in images; the documentary richness obtained allows for the "archaeology" of a code, which is more gestural than contemplative. This second piece may be the only one that has ever been made public.
His work questions our relationship with the materiality of the world, especially how the latter relates to our mental structures.
In 1999, Jean Paul Forest made a name for himself in Liège, thanks to his first exhibition at the Museum of Prehistoric Archaeology and the Flux Gallery. Then came the “Repairs” exhibition at the Mamac in 2006 and his participation in the Venice Biennial in 2007, in collaboration with the Flux Gallery. His work focuses on stone, both in his pieces made in situ and his sculptures.
The exhibition includes a series of five seemingly contradictory stone works, such as fragmentation repairs and workshop-based sculptures, which are contrasted with in situ pieces and yet form a coherent ensemble. At the same time, some works have been incorporated into the permanent collections of the archaeological section of the Grand Curtius museum.
His “in situ work”, which was carried out in Tahiti where he has lived since 1979, is comparable to Land Art. However, it is not a question of leaving macroscopic and obvious traces, but of showing the smallness of man in the face of nature. It is a type of rite that is performed alone; it speaks of intimacy with nature, of a request for forgiveness from the latter for the damage that has been caused (or that will be caused) by man. The seams that he makes in the cracked rocks will soon be overgrown with vegetation, until man, through his technological abilities, can dominate, transform or destroy it.
His "repairs", which are made in the workshop, are beautiful objects made with a device made from modelled coconut wood and volcanic stone; these are not purely decorative sculptures, but stem from the same spirit by integrating human techniques with natural elements.
His “fragments” pose questions about their apparent violence, which are a type of act against nature. The artist breaks, dislocates and accelerates the process of natural destruction, then connects them with metal cables, thus simultaneously slowing down the process, enjoying this poetic game.
Next are his “multiplications”, which are accumulations of repaired stones. The game continues: creating chaos to reorganise, breaking up and recomposing, dividing and multiplying, all with tenderness and respect.
A final series of pieces concerns the “Lizard Woman”, an established legend in Tahiti. Although Jean Paul Forest’s work is a result of a sociological reflection – one that denounces the dangers, errors and violence of our society – it is full of poetry and we cannot help but be moved by it.
Although his work is rooted in a reflection on current society, and its dangers, errors and violence, it is full of poetry and we cannot help but be moved by it.
Françoise Safin,
Curator and commissioner of the exhibition.