The artist talks with Nicolas Surlapierre, Director of the Museum, about his mural installation: "The Four Pillars of Heaven" (80 m2) at the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besançon on June 30 2023.

Nicolas Surlapierre: Jean-Pierre, I am quite happy that we are resuming these interviews, we did not do it some time ago, I would say almost two years ago. We were in the conference room of the Museum where we had presented a series of small, beautiful and erotic serigraphs. We had a discussion that lasted an hour and a half or two hours, I don't remember. And some time later, I had observed the videos and had found, how many elements that were said to me, directly, had escaped me...

PART 1/5

Karine Bertrand: Hello Jean-Pierre.

Jean-Pierre Sergent: Hello Karine.

KB: I am delighted to be here and thank you for your invitation.

JPS: You're more than welcome! 

KB: So, we're going to share this little moment together, so you invited me for my skills as a sexologist?

JPS: Yes, but not only that, I think you really appreciate my work... And so it was an idea to have a little exchange like that, a little informal, to discuss a little bit about my work and about life in general.

KB: So I'm delighted to be able to talk about your work and to give you my opinion as a sexologist, but also on the intimate (personal) view, your work really appealed to me; as you know, I really like your work. I was very touched by this work the first time I saw it. I am even more delighted to exchange with you. So, why was I touched by this work? 

Artist text statement's of the new series Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes 2022 :

KARMA-KALI, SEXUAL DREAMS & PARADOXES

"What light outside of life? Is it in or out of this mass of images? [...]
Transcendence demands - your fear of being torn apart."

The Art must smell the sperm and sulfur or both at the same time! Otherwise, it is only fragmentary and demonstrative representation of emotional and sentimental memories of times gone by and lost forever. 
The Art is the present. In the same way as our erotic dreams which reintegrate us, sometimes well in spite of us, in the incommensurable encompassing matrix of the Living. In the great mechanism: sex-life-birth-death: construction versus destruction...

Series of 34 Portraits-Photos taken by photographer Christine Chatelet showing the artist silk-screening the images of her new series of prints on paper: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes", on October 10, 2022.

Series of 21 Portraits-Photos taken by photographer Lionel Georges showing the artist signing the silk-screened works of his new series of prints on paper: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes", October 10, 2022.

Series of 45 photos taken during the interview between Jean-Pierre Sergent & Karine Bertrand (sexologist), at the workshop on October 28, 2022. Cameras : Lionel Georges and photos by Christine Chatelet .

Photos of the new series "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes", acrylic hand silk-screened and Indian ink on Rives BFK 250g paper, unique prints, 76 x 56 cm. Silk-screened during Summer and Fall 2022.

Photos of the new series "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes", acrylic hand silk-screened and Indian ink on yellow Wang Sketching 80g paper, unique prints, 80 x 60 cm. Silk-screened during Summer and Fall 2022.

Jean-Pierre Sergent and Karine Bertrand are exchanging about the erotic works of JPS. Filmed at the Besançon Studio on October 28 2022. Cameras: Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

Jean-Pierre Sergent and Karine Bertrand are exchanging about the erotic works of JPS. Filmed at the Besançon Studio on October 28 2022. Cameras: Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet. 

Jean-Pierre Sergent and Karine Bertrand are exchanging about the erotic works of JPS. Filmed at the Besançon Studio on October 28 2022. Cameras: Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

Jean-Pierre Sergent and Karine Bertrand are exchanging about the erotic works of JPS. Filmed at the Besançon Studio on October 28 2022. Cameras: Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

Jean-Pierre Sergent and Karine Bertrand are exchanging about the erotic works of JPS. Filmed at the Besançon Studio on October 28 2022. Cameras: Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet

Series of 70 photos showing a working silk-screening cession of Jean-Pierre Sergent during the summer of 2022 in his Besançon Studio's, for the realization of the new series: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes". Acrylic hand silk-screened and Indian ink printed on yellow Wang Sketching 80g & Rives B.F.K. white 250g papers, size 80 x 60 cm, unique prints.

Series of 34 B&W photos showing Jean-Pierre Sergent working during the summer of 2022 on the various stages of exposing the silkscreen frames, in his Besançon Studio's, for the realization of the series: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes". Acrylic hand silk-screened and Indian ink printed on yellow Wang Sketching 80g & Rives B.F.K. white 250g papers, size 80 x 60 cm, unique prints.

Series of 70 B&W Portraits-Photos taken by photographer Christine Chatelet showing the artist exposing and developing his silkscreen frames of the images of his new "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes" prints on paper series, September 27 2022.

2 Series of 34 & 49 Portraits-Photos taken by photographer Christine Chatelet showing the artist exposing and developing his silkscreen frames of the images of his new "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes" prints on paper series, September 2 & 14 2022.

Series of 34 Portraits-Photos taken by photographer Lionel Georges showing the artist silk-screening the images of his new "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes" small prints on paper series, September 12th 2022

Series of Portrait-Photos taken by professional photographers showing the artist working through the various stages of the silkscreen process to produce his new series: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes", Summer and Fall 2022. Photos by Christine Chatelet and Lionel Georges.

JPS is going to present, with the Keller Gallery from Zurich, one large painting on Plexiglas from the Mayan Diary series (1,05 x 1,05 m, 2010) and twelve small unique prints from his current Shakti-Yoni: Ecstatic Cosmic Dances series (38 x 38 cm, 2017 - 2020).
23, 24, 25 September, 11 am to 8 pm | Day ticket: 15 CHF
WOPART: www.wopart.eu | management@wopart.eu | +41 (0)765872382 | GALERIE KELLER: Heidi Suter | www.kellergalerie.ch | kellergalerie@sunrise.ch | + 41(0)79 329 58 56

Series of photos showing Jean-Pierre Sergent working during the summer of 2022 on the various stages of the artistic process, in his studio in Besançon, for the realization of the series: Bones, Ropes & Flowers. Acrylic hand silk-screened and Indian ink printed on yellow Wang Sketching 80g & Rives B.F.K. white 250g papers, size 80 x 60 cm. Unique prints.

Documentary film presenting Jean-Pierre Sergent drawing with Indian ink on positive films the images of his new series: "Karma-Kali, Sexual Dreams & Paradoxes". Filmed by the artist on July 29, 2022.

    "Let us have contempt of any subjection,
    We, the sons of the vast universe, [...]
    Lords of the world, will go as we please
    Wherever we please, free of all control."¹

I am writing this text at the end of July, beginning of August 2022, after having read the very beautiful novel Bartleby by Herman Melville, with the powerful afterword by Gilles Deleuze (about which it would be interesting to write also a small text). This reading strongly moved me and touched my deepest self and destabilized me. Perhaps, without a doubt, because of the beauty of the character, this Bartleby, refusing the world and who goes away, towards his death, without saying anything, without eating, without a complaint...

1  The Encatadas, The Barrington Island & the Buccaneers, Herman Melville

Conference given by the artist Jean-Pierre Sergent during his exhibition: Polyphonies : Arts, Cultures & Civilizations on May 15, 2022. He talks about his artistic work and the traditional and ancient cultures that have largely influenced him. Filmed by Lionel Georges, transcriptions by Karine Joyerot. - See the videos

1/4 : I, THE INFLUENCES AND THE APPEARANCE OF EXTRA EUROPEAN ARTS IN MY WORK, NEW YORK YEARS (1993-2003)
Hello everyone, thank you for coming here to this beautiful Galerie de l'Orangerie. Christine Herrgott, who is a childhood friend of mine, welcomes us and I am going to give you a presentation with some of my works in relation to cultures that have interested me during my career. I've lived in New York quite a bit, I've also traveled to Mexico, Guatemala and I'm interested in a lot of cultures, what we call the 'primitive' (root) cultures, before we called them 'archaic' cultures. So this is how it will be: the conference is entitled: "Polyphonies: arts, cultures and civilizations"...

20 new photos of the interview between Jean-Pierre Sergent and Nicolas Surlapierre, Director of the Museum, they discuss about his mural installation : The four pillars of the sky (80 m2) at the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology of Besançon. Photos taken on June 30, 2022 by Christine Chatelet.

20 new photos of the shooting of the interview between Jean-Pierre Sergent and Thierry Savatier (Art Historian and world specialist of Gustave Courbet's work). They exchange about the great mural installations of the artist at the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology of Besançon. Photos taken by Christine Chatelet on July 2nd 2021.

Jean-Pierre Sergent talks with Nicolas Surlapierre, the Museum director, about his mural installation : The Four Pillars of Heaven (80 m2) at the MBAA of Besançon. Filmed on June 30, 2022, cameras Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

DEFEATING DEATH OR THE PARADOXICAL THOUGHT

"These monks here will not conquer death, because they believe in death." Mystics and magicians of Tibet, Alexandra David-Néel

It is the same for Art: to defeat Art, one must never, yes, never, never again, believe in it! JPS, Notes 2022

Jean-Pierre Sergent talks with Nicolas Surlapierre, the Museum director, about his mural installation : The Four Pillars of Heaven (80 m2) at the MBAA of Besançon. Filmed on June 30, 2022, cameras Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

THE PRESENCE OF THE SACRED, THE SAVAGE & THE TANTRIC RITUAL

BOOK : CONJUNCTIONS AND DISJUNCTIONS, OCTAVIO PAZ 
"Eve and prajnâpâramitâ
The oppositions between Tantrism and Protestantism are of the type light and shadow, heat and cold, white and black. Both are grappling with the insoluble conflict between body and mind (emptiness for the Buddhist) and both resolve it by exaggeration." 
(It's the same as in my painting!)

Jean-Pierre Sergent talks with Nicolas Surlapierre, the Museum director, about his mural installation : The Four Pillars of Heaven (80 m2) at the MBAA of Besançon. Filmed on June 30, 2022, cameras Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

LIBERATOR & SALVATOR ART (for the artist and for the public?)

"I have often been called a decadent. I have a very favorable opinion of decadence, as Thomas Mann had for example. I am imbued with this decadence. What has always interested me is the examination of a sick society." Luchino Visconti

Jean-Pierre Sergent talks with Nicolas Surlapierre, the Museum director, about his mural installation : The Four Pillars of Heaven (80 m2) at the MBAA of Besançon. Filmed on June 30, 2022, cameras Lionel Georges and Christine Chatelet.

INTRODUCTION
"I'm not here to fit into your world! I'm here to protect mine!" Apache proverb

"Since the WW2 war, the culture has kind of fallen apart. All over the world. And the spiritual level too. [...] Today, more than ever, we must safeguard everything that has a link, however tenuous, with the spiritual." The Sealed Time, Andreï Tarkovski

THE COMPOSITE MONUMENTAL WORK (THE CENTER AND THE MARGIN)