Christian Jaccard

Vocation

Swiss-French painter and sculptor. Since the end of the 50’s, Christian Jaccard has experimented, through different techniques and combinatory processes, with the use of traces, stamps and marks. In an early period, from 1958 to 1962, he stamps fish bones on sand and makes lithographs out of them (Ossature de poisson, 1962). Later, he creates his “bricolages-assemblages”, his Outils-échelles, and different sized boxes that contain his Outils made of threads, flax strings, hemp, jute and pita. He uses these materials, he ties them and knots them together (Boîte bleue contenant 13 outils, 1972). He stains these same objects with ink and stamps them on canvas, he exhibits them together as Couples. In 1973 he begins using fire to burn his canvases (Toile calcinée, 1973; the Pièces blanches brülées series or the Anonymes calcinés series), to make relics out of them. He also uses fire on leather (Trophées collection) and paper. In the 80’s he makes small gold sculptures based on his Outils, made with recycled materials; he seeks to reflect upon the value of an art work, “the quality of things”. He creates Outils armés covering them with graphite (Couple d’objets armés, 1984-1986). In 1986 he starts braiding wicks on iron or PVC frameworks for the series Concept supranodal, some pieces of which are monumental (Édifice, concept supranodal, 1999). He keeps on experimenting with more radical combustion processes to create different effects. (Biography text quoted from http://www.fundacio-stampfli.org ) Link to Wikipedia biography (French)