French artist Jean-Baptiste Janisset bases his work upon religion and historical references. As he visits places of worships, parish priests and people who have faith, Jean-Baptiste aims to explore the afterlife within different religions and cults. His studies at the School of Fine Arts in Dijon followed by his travels around the world, helped sculpt Jean-Baptiste’s journey into becoming an artist. Influenced heavily by the people he meets through his travels and pilgrimages, Jean-Baptiste creates sculptural work that beautifully encompasses this. Aesthetically charming and structurally metallic, his work feels very personal and like no other.

Can you first describe your artistic practice?

My mother is a medium, it is certainly no coincidence that I now mould figures of worship or religion. To make these footprints, I go to parish priests or work with contacts or friends abroad.

I like the idea of bringing together the stigmas of various cults – archaic and modern – in syncretic communion; to live in a globalised post-industrial world and to transfigure it in a setting worthy of a cenotaph or an arch. For me, it’s about embodying spirit forms. I’m looking to cross intentionality in inter-world communication networks, hence probably the presence of LEDs, conductive wires, even energy, in my installations.

When I am near the statues, I have the feeling to hear their whispers, my mind is captivated and I like to imagine their mutation by processes of reproduction. This is probably why I felt the call of Africa from the beginning of my studies in Fine Arts. Since then, I have discovered several countries and I have met beautiful people anchored in the faith of Allah, Jesus, voodoo cults and spirits. I certainly want to confront individuals who remain attentive to the afterlife, with respect for their cults and their ancestors.

How did you get to where you are today as an sculptural artist?

I started studying at the School of Fine Arts in Dijon. I started to travel to Senegal, Benin, Algeria, at the crossroads of spiritual and cultural encounters. In my fourth year at the School of Fine Arts in Nantes, I had the idea of awakening the history of statues through moulding. Then it went very quickly. I was invited to residency in Benin. I started curating exhibitions and working with galleries and curators.