Jean-Christophe Couradin
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
b.1961, Dijon, France
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2005 Invitational, Yves Callet-Molin, Switzerland
2004 Solo Exhibition, Galerie Art et Creation, Lyon, France
Solo Exhibition, Colmar, France
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2003 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
Art et Creation, a la Galerie, Lyon, France
2002 Qui des Arts, Strasbourg, France
2002-06 Exposition Art Contemporain, Paris, France
2001-03 Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000-03 Exposition Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
2001-02 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2001 Collectors of Wood Art, Minneapolis, MN
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, UK
1990-2001 Exposition Régulière à la Boutique Française, Design 95, Paris, France
Marché de la Création, Lyon, France
2000 Salle de la Médiathèque, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France
1999 Salon d'art de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Marché de la Création, Lyon, France
1998 Reg Art, Avignon, France
Galerie des Arts, Trigance, France
1997 Congrès Internationnal du Bois, First Place Juried Exhibition, France
1996 Exposition Chez un Expert en Objet d'Art, France
Les Arts dans la Rue, Mougins, France
1995 à Lausanne Exposition, Lausanne, Switzerland
Concours International de Peinture Sculpture à Monaco, Prix Master,
Monaco
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I have worked in the medium of wood for twenty years. I began making games and boxes in wood but later changed my focus to less utilitarian objects, preferring to deal more with the pure aesthetic of the object and less with its utilitarian purpose.
In my search for the pure form, I use exotic and hard woods exclusively. These forms are born with an initial idea or concept but are guided by the characteristics of the material that I am using, capitalizing on the inherent richness of the grain and figure of the wood.
My pieces stand alone as sculptural forms but take on a metamorphosis and a mobility when the secret spaces they contain are revealed. With a slight touch of the hand in just the right place the piece displays it's "variable geometry" and mobility.
The fact that the pure sculptural form can change to become something different, and in many cases even more dramatic, not only becomes a focal part of the piece but also creates an interaction between the piece and the viewer. Suddenly, they must choose between the sensuality of primordial curved lines and the discovery and excitement that the secret compartments and the dynamics of the new lines that the manipulated form creates.
I use the classic tools of a sculptor, chisels, gouges, rasps and scrapers to produce my work. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I have enjoyed creating them for you.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2005 Invitational, Yves Callet-Molin, Switzerland
2004 Solo Exhibition, Galerie Art et Creation, Lyon, France
Solo Exhibition, Colmar, France
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2003 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
Art et Creation, a la Galerie, Lyon, France
2002 Qui des Arts, Strasbourg, France
2002-06 Exposition Art Contemporain, Paris, France
2001-03 Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000-03 Exposition Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
2001-02 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2001 Collectors of Wood Art, Minneapolis, MN
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle, UK
1990-2001 Exposition Régulière à la Boutique Française, Design 95, Paris, France
Marché de la Création, Lyon, France
2000 Salle de la Médiathèque, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France
1999 Salon d'art de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Marché de la Création, Lyon, France
1998 Reg Art, Avignon, France
Galerie des Arts, Trigance, France
1997 Congrès Internationnal du Bois, First Place Juried Exhibition, France
1996 Exposition Chez un Expert en Objet d'Art, France
Les Arts dans la Rue, Mougins, France
1995 à Lausanne Exposition, Lausanne, Switzerland
Concours International de Peinture Sculpture à Monaco, Prix Master,
Monaco
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I have worked in the medium of wood for twenty years. I began making games and boxes in wood but later changed my focus to less utilitarian objects, preferring to deal more with the pure aesthetic of the object and less with its utilitarian purpose.
In my search for the pure form, I use exotic and hard woods exclusively. These forms are born with an initial idea or concept but are guided by the characteristics of the material that I am using, capitalizing on the inherent richness of the grain and figure of the wood.
My pieces stand alone as sculptural forms but take on a metamorphosis and a mobility when the secret spaces they contain are revealed. With a slight touch of the hand in just the right place the piece displays it's "variable geometry" and mobility.
The fact that the pure sculptural form can change to become something different, and in many cases even more dramatic, not only becomes a focal part of the piece but also creates an interaction between the piece and the viewer. Suddenly, they must choose between the sensuality of primordial curved lines and the discovery and excitement that the secret compartments and the dynamics of the new lines that the manipulated form creates.
I use the classic tools of a sculptor, chisels, gouges, rasps and scrapers to produce my work. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I have enjoyed creating them for you.