Hippopotame, 2020

Jean-No   Emerging artists

The Work of Jean-No is built on a paradox that only the artist knows, through a mysterious alchemy, to sublimate.

From a dense and hard material, steel, Jean-No draws fluid and light shapes from it. From waste materials made up of metal pieces gleaned from the metal salvage dealer, he transforms them into sparkling sculptures, real faceted steel jewels.

Jean-No is from the Vosges. He does not bother with convolutions to realize his works or to talk about them. He is frank, direct, sincere and authentic like the mountains that saw him be born.

He works by welding and melting metal: welding these pieces together creates a link that gives life to a new and unique shape. To amalgamate by fusion: it is to return to the minerality of the matter. To create an amalgam, to start again what is created in the heart of the earth's crust, is to give a geological dimension to matter.

The sculptor's approach is therefore alchemical. It presents in its essence a mystical dimension, its Work aiming to reconcile the antagonisms to sublimate the harmonies found. As a demiurge Jean-No transmutes matter to create his philosopher's stone: sculptures that encourage us to meditate.