Born in Paris in 1958 to West Indian parents, Jean-Claude Jolet settled on the island of La Réunion in 1999, where he developed an artistic practice that explores creolization movements as well as physical and mental displacements. He draws his inspiration from his multicultural roots and from the complex relationships between humans and their environment.
A sculptor by training, Jean-Claude Jolet broadens his field of expression to photography, composite objects and large-scale architectural installations. His work hybridizes everyday objects, whose scales and materials he modifies, to inject political and philosophical reflection. These transformations question the notions of identity, acculturation and crossbreeding, while proposing a human dramaturgy that places cultural and political objects at the center of its mise en abyme.
Deeply committed, Jean-Claude Jolet transposes everyday practices into contexts of multicultural crossing, giving birth to works that are both fascinating and striking. He thus designs 'mental sculptures', both sober and delicate, which combine the precision of a technician, the ingenuity of a craftsman and the sensitivity of a poet.
