Overview

 

 

"This separation between two worlds, between dream and reality, freedom and imprisonment, or could it be the opposite? An island, a theater, an inaccessible world, a parallel universe, a passage to another space and time.... This is a new order, which I want to render as a pre-futuristic vision, or post-historical one."

Works
  • Jan Gulfoss, Agave, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Agave, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Deux baleines, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Deux baleines, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Deux flamants roses, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Deux flamants roses, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Deux léopards, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Deux léopards, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Grue couronnée sur une scène, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Grue couronnée sur une scène, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Jungle Skull, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Jungle Skull, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Lion, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Lion, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Lionceau devant une vitrine et Ampoule, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Lionceau devant une vitrine et Ampoule, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Ours Polaire, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Ours Polaire, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Rhinoceros de Dürer, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Rhinoceros de Dürer, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Flamants roses devant un décor, 2017
    Jan Gulfoss
    Flamants roses devant un décor, 2017
  • Jan Gulfoss, Requin Blanc, 2017
    Jan Gulfoss
    Requin Blanc, 2017
  • Jan Gulfoss, Couple de lions, 2015
    Jan Gulfoss
    Couple de lions, 2015
  • Jan Gulfoss, Gibbons devant un décor, 2015
    Jan Gulfoss
    Gibbons devant un décor, 2015
  • Jan Gulfoss, Pantera IV, 2015
    Jan Gulfoss
    Pantera IV, 2015
  • Jan Gulfoss, Hippopotame et aigrette, 2014
    Jan Gulfoss
    Hippopotame et aigrette, 2014
  • Jan Gulfoss, Tigre et ampoule, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Tigre et ampoule, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Elephant portrait, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Elephant portrait, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Paon de Nuit, 2014
    Jan Gulfoss
    Paon de Nuit, 2014
  • Jan Gulfoss, Perroquets dans une serre I, 2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Perroquets dans une serre I, 2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Sumatra Tiger, c. 2013-2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Sumatra Tiger, c. 2013-2016
  • Jan Gulfoss, Zebres de Grevy devant un Décor, 2016
    Jan Gulfoss
    Zebres de Grevy devant un Décor, 2016
Video
Biography

Born in 1957 in the Netherlands, Jan Gulfoss is an explorer, both artistically and scientifically speaking. Fascinated by nature since an early age, he has continuously observed his environment and attempted to render its images and sounds. When not in the natural history museums and particularly the Monaco one which he frequently visits, Gulfoss is to be found roaming the world in a scientific expedition. From the Icelandic glaciers and volcanoes, to the hanging monasteries of Bhutan, via the Arctic pole, Tasmania, the Amazon or Africa, he studies the frequencies of Nature and record whale songs, Buddhist monks chants, or aboriginal didgeridoo.


Following his encounter with the monk Mathieu Ricard in 2011, Gulfoss decided to create his own "Plea For Animals" and subsequently developed his visual arts practice, both painting and photography. Revisiting the classic studio portrait, he places his model in front of a painted background of his own making. The attention he brings to his stage is such that the subject initially appears to pose in his natural habitat. However, at second glance, the image dissolves to reveal the subterfuge; a door, a light bulb, a glare on a window, unveil to our subconsciousness the frailty of what we had hoped to see. Can this peaceful world filled with animals be maintained outside an artificial setting? Couldn't we erase this window which separates us from the animal kingdom in order to better integrate it? Gulfoss photographs raise many questions. They force us to reevaluate the way we apprehend the place of animals and by extension, our own positioning within a global ecosystem.

Exhibitions
Store
  • Jan Gulfoss, " ... un monde plus silencieux", 2018
    Jan Gulfoss
    " ... un monde plus silencieux", 2018
  • Jan Gulfoss, " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
    Jan Gulfoss
    " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
  • Jan Gulfoss, " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
    Jan Gulfoss
    " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
  • Jan Gulfoss, " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
    Jan Gulfoss
    " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
  • Jan Gulfoss, " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018
    Jan Gulfoss
    " Un monde plus silencieux", 2018