Karine Jollet is a soft sculptor from France.
“The body as an enigma, I explore it, step by step, like a space that I need to reconstruct, to unify. Fabrics are materials that came naturally to me as an analogy to our own biological tissues: bones, fibres, crystals… I start with old bed sheets and shirts, embroidered handkerchiefs and second-hand fabrics that I cut up, put the fragments together, pad them and then sew them by hand. In this way I reconstruct different body parts (arms, legs, heads) and several organs and bone structures. Then, acting as a mirror to anatomic parts, I create symbolic forms: crystals made of pearls, flowers, animals, fantastic creatures, allegories, dreams.
“My inspiration derives from old traditions as well as from primitive beliefs and votive practices. Amongst these multiple dimensions, naturalism and symbolism interact with each other through a common language: white. A tribute paid to the spirit-body union.“
I’m always fascinated by soft sculpture, not only from a technical perspective, but also because it often generates interplay between the concepts of hard and soft. Karine creates pieces that, at first glance, look like they were carved from marble, with their whiteness echoing classic sculptures of old.
They are remarkable pieces, filled with grace, style and power. It’s worth visiting Karine’s website and wandering through her Flickr photostream to enjoy her body of work. It’s quite magnificent.
