His own thing? Old tools, those from another time, forgotten and replaced. After thirty-nine years spent working concrete as a stonemason, and twenty as a volunteer firefighter, Jean-Pierre Lucini now sculpts his vision of life using old tools “which I want to revive. I don't distort them too much to preserve their soul. No matter how much we say, the ancients had the know-how. Look here, you have a whole bunch of old tools [il les manipule et montre à quoi ils servent] and I can tell you that they are all very useful to me. What I want through my works is to highlight them through a character or an animal.” In Jean-Pierre Lucini's workshop, located in Castagniers, you will see tools, tools and more tools.
The Golden Eagle
He shows us a room. “There, I used a shovel handle to make a duck's beak. See? It's pretty obvious to me when I look at an object. I've always been very good at pareidolia [faculté à voir des formes connues à partir d’éléments neutres].”
Two springs? He sees motorcycle shock absorbers. A pinion? He sees a wheel. The small motorcycle that he made with seventeen everyday objects and tools was offered to the winner of the 2023 Dealers Trophy, still on display at Bike'up (51, rue Dabray).
A museum of old tools?
From bolts to scythe blades, and other chain tensioners, Jean-Pierre Lucini multiplies the exhibitions. And the rewards! He also received the Aigla Nissarda d’Or in 2022.
In total, he created around one hundred and fifty pieces, all unique and all of which tell a story. “Man is destroying everything. For me, it is important to show the happiness that life gives us. I love animals, I love history and those who made it. J I try, on my own little level, to capture all this beauty and do it with objects from the past. I find that it makes perfect sense.”
He goes to get his raw material “almost everywhere, at friends’ houses.” And he has plenty to do! He represented the influence of the West on Africa, love, motherhood, freedom, and created animals of all sizes and materials. But his dream would be to open a museum of old tools. He is thinking about it seriously and already has ideas for its implementation.
-A horse on the water
The self-taught artist-man has a thousand ideas per second. He says that all these pieces were made with love, that all bring him satisfaction. Each represents a colossal amount of work and unique know-how. He tells great stories about his sculptures: that of the fireman, that of the wild boar (Simba), that of the eagle, the fish, and many others. Do not hesitate to contact him, he happily shares his passion.
His next work? A blue horse measuring 1.60m at the withers which will walk on water. Because it is the year of the United Nations Ocean Conference, here in Nice, and he found an inspiring subject to speak on this subject.
Here he brings out the soldering iron, a timing pulley, horseshoes. What will he create? A dragon? Lovers? The next turn of the screw.
Exhibition until January 26 at the Tourrette-Levens Cultural Space (46, place Louis-Girard). More information on Jplucini.com or on Instagram: @jeanpierrelucini
Related News :