The renowned paper sculptor’s immersive installation “Léa’s Ocean” is currently on display in Nice, creating fascinating underwater worlds from ten tons of recycled materials. But there is so much more to this accomplished artist
When RIVIERA BUZZ first heard about “Léa’s Ocean,” the exhibition currently making waves in Nice, we expected to encounter yet another contemporary art installation. In this International Year of the Ocean, there are so many of them all over town. What we discovered instead was something far more extraordinary: the phenomenal art of Junior Fritz Jacquet, a Franco-Haitian Origami master who has revolutionised this ancient art into breathtaking sculptural experiences. His shows transform bare space into immersive realms using nothing but paper, natural pigments, and an almost mystical understanding of his medium.
His timing could not be more perfect. As Nice – and the world – focuses its attention on ocean conservation in the wake of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) which in June brought together world leaders to address marine challenges, Jacquet’s poetic, dreamlike underwater landscapes at the new OcéaNice venue on the port offer both artistic wonder and environmental reflection, transforming recycled materials into powerful statements about the fragility of our blue planet.
All photos courtesy and © j_m_overtheworld06
But the stunning visual effect is more than a feast for the eyes. As one enchanted visitor told us, “The atmosphere is so peaceful, and this effect of being on the ocean floor in all its immensity, it’s magic. And then the music – so organic! You have the sensation of listening to the whales and all the other creatures that live in the ocean!”
From his Parisian studio to prestigious venues across the globe, Junior Fritz Jacquet has spent more than two decades pushing the boundaries of what paper can become. His work adorns luxury boutiques, decorates the walls of the Four Seasons George V, and has earned him recognition as a “Living Treasure of Craftsmanship” in France. Yet beneath the praise lies a deeply personal journey of transformation from a dyslexic teenager who found comfort in paper folding to an internationally recognized artist whose installations invite us to reconsider our relationship with both art and the environment.
We set out to learn more about this international artist and discovered a humble and delightful person exploding with creativity and ideas, but also a refined and enlightened consciousness of the challenges our planet faces.
Your installation “Léa’s Ocean” has captivated audiences wherever it has been presented. Can you tell us about this underwater journey you’ve created?
“Léa’s Ocean” was born from a desire to create something truly immersive: an ocean born from the metamorphosis of ten tons of paper inspired by a place, a former ice rink. When visitors cross the entrance, they are immediately transported into a subaquatic world populated with organic forms that encourage both contemplation and reflection on the ephemeral nature of our ecosystems. It’s about creating that sense of wonder that one feels when diving into unknown depths, but also making people think about the fragility and permanence of our Mother Nature.
After your successful Parisian exhibition earlier this year, what drew you to Nice?
I am always attracted to spaces that tell stories, and the Côte d’Azur offers so many inspiring ones. Each installation begins with an encounter with a place. I immerse myself in the space, and either the place tells me a story, or my imagination creates one. The new OceaNice hall, right by the port, is an incredible venue. I felt that the interaction between Mediterranean light and my paper sculptures could create something truly magical.
The environmental message seems central to your work. How does the use of recycled materials inform your artistic practice?
For my generation of sculptors, choosing paper as a medium represents an awareness of environmental issues. Like my Parisian colleagues Eva Jospin and Claudine Drai, I chose a biodegradable material. But my approach goes further. I work exclusively with recycled industrial paper, even toilet paper tubes for my mask series. Paper offers so many advantages: it’s flexible, light, accessible and inexpensive. Most importantly, it forces you to think about transformation and renewal, which are at the heart of art and nature.
Your journey to becoming an origami master is quite remarkable. Can you share how this art form found you?
Paper found me during my adolescence, actually. I was born in Haiti in 1979. After leaving Haiti at age seven to join my parents in France, I had difficulties with school integration due to my dyslexia. I was quite a rebellious teenager until I discovered origami in a municipal library. Suddenly, this ancient practice helped channel all that restless energy. Paper is plied to transcend two dimensions, allowing me to create small sculptures. It took off from there.
In 2003, I had my first international exhibitions in the USA and Japan. Through years of mastering and refining this practice, I eventually became an Origami Master, receiving the highest distinction from the Nippon Origami Association in 2004 and since then have exhibited around the world.
But you have gone well beyond traditional origami. How did you develop your unique sculptural language?
Traditional origami follows strict rules and geometric patterns, but I needed to free myself from that language. I wanted more plasticity and inventiveness. I began exploring techniques like crumpling, which brings incredible texture to sculptures. The key breakthrough was realising that I could work without any preliminary design – just spontaneous shaping, where touch allows dialogue with the material until the sculpture completes itself. Each piece is created from a single sheet of paper, without cutting or glueing, following what I call the exploration of the continuous line.
Your mask series, created from toilet paper tubes, launched your international career. What makes these pieces so captivating?
The masks represent a quest for creativity through waste – transforming discarded cardboard tubes into very expressive faces that navigate between caricature and fine arts. The angular folds of traditional origami are replaced by necessarily rounded folds, creating faces that recall Franz Xaver Messerschmidt’s expression heads or Thomas Schütte’s grotesques.
I transform the paper with colored patinas, giving it an unprecedented materiality, sometimes resembling metal or earth. When these images appeared online, they immediately captured the attention of the contemporary art world.
Your “Bonhomme Cannelle” series pays homage to your Haitian roots. Can you elaborate on this connection?
The Bonhomme Cannelle is my emblematic work: a mysterious being, without a face, whose emotions are expressed through body postures. The lightness of the figure contrasts with the solidity of its form.
Through this series, I honour my origins, drawing from Haiti’s rich cultural heritage while expressing universal human emotions. It is about this connection between where you come from and who you become as an artist.
You have collaborated with luxury brands like Guerlain and Repetto. How do you balance commercial projects with your artistic vision?
ach collaboration allows me to bring my unique creative touch while respecting the brand’s identity and specifications. For Guerlain, I created accessories for their “Muguet” perfume bottle.
With Repetto, I designed window scenography and a travelling installation “Swan Lake” for Paris and New York. These projects challenge me to apply my techniques at different scales and contexts while maintaining that same desire for enchantment that drives all my work. I have also created artwork for hotels, showrooms, stages, and even the Nativity scene for a church.
You work with some global luxury brands, yet you remain firmly rooted in human values. Your studio employs a unique social program called “Solidaire par le Beau” (Solidarity through Beauty). Can you tell us about this initiative?
Solidarity has always been at the heart of my philosophy, nurtured first in Haiti and later at the Foundation of Orphan Apprentices of Auteuil in France. Since 2013, I train and integrate isolated women, particularly single mothers, into my studio. The program offers new professional perspectives to those who have encountered setbacks in their lives, with the sincere wish to help them regain their dignity through the therapeutic benefits of origami and paper sculpture.
You were recently selected as an academician by the Hermès Corporate Foundation. What does this recognition mean to you?
Being chosen for the “Académie des savoir-faire: Papier” (“Academy of Know-How: Paper”) programme by the Hermès Foundation is an incredible honour. It recognises not only my individual work, but also the legitimacy of paper as an artistic medium. It is a validation of fifteen years of international recognition and contributes to the emergence of an entire artistic paper sector. This kind of institutional support helps ensure that these techniques and this art form are passed on to future generations.
Looking to the future, how do you see your work evolving?
I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what paper can become while maintaining an eco-responsible production approach. My signature now applies to an incredible diversity of projects: installations, event scenography, object design, windows, and packaging design. For each new project, I collaborate with complementary artisans – carpenters, blacksmiths, artistic directors – allowing a 360-degree approach from design to realisation. The goal is always the same: to enchant the world by offering dreamlike and poetic journeys.
Now that we have a very good sense of the professional artist, here is a series of “Quickfire Questions” about the man behind the artwork: I’ll ask you a question, you’ll answer briefly and spontaneously. Ready?
Go!
What inspired the name “Léa” for this oceanic installation?
Léa is my daughter’s name; I dedicated this exhibition to her. The previous one was dedicated to my son Eden, with the exhibition “Noël au Jardin d’Eden” (Christmas in Eden’s Garden).
How does the public generally react when they first enter the space?
They say “Wow” and what I read of wonder in their eyes is, for me, a real gift.
Are there any memorable visitor encounters or reactions that surprised you?
What touches me terribly is having seen people cry; there, they are overwhelmed by unfeigned emotion. I have also seen people who meditate and forget themselves, losing all notion of time. And then also those who tell me they’re giving a gift to their loved ones by buying them a ticket.
Is there a typical day in your studio?
Every day is different; I work on different projects at the same time. Cutting, modelling, crumpling… researching and trying forms and volumes – that is my daily routine.
How do you know when a work is “finished”?
When the work is aligned with the emotion I want to share.
What is the most difficult technical problem you have solved with paper?
The great thing about paper is that the problems encountered are ways to go even further in achieving the work. For me, problems are not really problems.
How has your relationship with your Haitian heritage evolved through your art?
My childhood in Haiti is my connection with Nature.
What role do meditation or mindfulness play in your creative process?
Actually, before creating, I have a “vision” of the work I want to create.
If you were not working with paper, what medium would call to you?
I am currently thinking about an evolution of my work on another medium. You will hear about it soon.
What are your next projects?
Starting in October, I am going to invest in a magnificent place, a former hunting pavilion transformed into a cultural venue, the Pavillon Vendôme, with Léa’s Ocean becoming Léa’s Odyssey. I was also chosen for the scenography of “Grand Noel” at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Are there dream spaces or places where you would like to create an installation?
Every place is a source of inspiration for me, but my dream would be to install a flight of manta rays in the nave of an emblematic cathedral like Notre Dame.
Can you work with any kind of space, from a 2,000 sq.m. ice rink to a small city gallery?
I can, and I have. I adapt every exhibition to bring out the best in both the venue and my creations.
How do you see the intersection between art and environmental activism evolving?
My work is an ode to nature. I am a passive and benevolent activist, as I like to say, my motto is “to amaze in order to awaken”.
What is a technique or effect with paper that you are still trying to master?
In all modesty, it is not the technique that poses problems for me; it’s rather getting as close as possible to the work I envision in my mind.
What is the most unexpected place one of your works has ended up?
It has not happened yet, but my dream is to walk through a city or country that I am just exploring myself, and to see through a window one of my works.
Were there any amusing incidents or disasters in your early paper folding days?
In each project, each realization there are always unexpected events, but I admit that I find satisfaction in finding the solution to work around them.
When grown adults walk into Jacquet’s paper ocean and start weeping from pure wonder, you know something extraordinary is happening. At the OcéaNice Convention Centre in the city’s port area, a dyslexic Haitian kid who found refuge in library origami books has conjured an underwater world from ten tons of recycled paper that makes people forget time exists. “I see people meditate and lose themselves completely,” he says. The kind of work that stops you cold, makes you question what is possible when vision meets recycled materials transformed by touch alone.
“Émerveiller pour éveiller.” Amaze to awaken.
Mission accomplished.
“L’Océan de Léa” is in Nice through September 14 at OcéaNice and continues to tour internationally.
For more information about Junior Fritz Jacquet’s work and upcoming exhibitions, visit www.juniorfritzjacquet.com
Interested in a training in origami? Check here for video courses https://juniorfritzjacquet.com/jfj/formation-origami/
CONTACT DETAILS
OcéaNice
Centre des Congrès
Quai Infernet
06300 Nice
All images as credited and courtesy of Junior Fritz Jacquet and j_m_overtheworld06
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