Jean’s work has focused on Antarctica and the Polar Regions for nearly twenty years. He has visited Antarctica on many occasions, accompanying both artistic and scientific expeditions with the United States, New Zealand, Peruvian and Chinese Antarctic programmes. In 2006, he was the photographer for Lita Albuquerque’s Stellar Axis: Antarctica land-art installation, one of the most ambitious artistic project ever undertaken on the continent. In 2017, he took part in the ‘Antarctic Biennale’ expedition commissioned by Russian artist Alexander Ponomarev. Taken between 2002 and 2009, photographic series ‘Topography of Absence’, ‘Contours of Silence’ and ‘Sans Nom’ focus on the minerality and abstraction of Antarctic landscapes and have been widely exhibited.

As co-editor with Salto Ulbeek Publishers, Jean has overseen the publication and exhibiting of the first platinum-palladium prints and portfolios made from the original negatives of some of the earliest Antarctic photographers, including Frank Hurley and Herbert Ponting. These represent unique contributions to the preservation and contextualization of early exploration photography.

Following studies in photography and art history in Paris, Jean completed a Masters in Polar Studies at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Historical Geography at the University of Exeter. His practice and research focus on two separate but intertwined questions: one is the visual culture of Antarctica, the other is the scientific and political history of the ice.

Selected Group and Solo Exhibitions:

Bigaignon, Paris
David Winton Bell Gallery, Providence, USA
Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, USA
Brower Center, Berkeley, USA
Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, Washington, USA
Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, USA
Abbaye aux Dames, Caen, France
A. Galerie, Paris, France
Young Gallery, Knokke, Belgium
OFoto Gallery, Shanghai, China
Galerie du Globe, Chamonix, France
Artheme Galerie, Paris, France
Centre Culturel d’Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
Galerie Marceau Bastille, Paris, France
Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand