Born and raised in Lyon, France, Joanathan studied applied arts and photography, and began his artistic career in his 20s as a painter. He was drawn to paper cutting after visiting a Chelsea gallery in New York City in 2004 where he was introduced to the art, however, it wasn't until 2012 that he began pursuing the interest seriously.
"I was also drawn to old French Michelin maps because I have been surrounded by objects like them since I was a child. Both my father and grandfather have stands in Lyon’s largest flea market and I spent long hours there as a child and adolescent. Many of the maps that I use come from Lyon’s flea markets and others throughout France."
"I choose my maps very carefully and try to integrate their geography, including lakes, rivers, oceans, roads, highways, parks and city centers into my images to highlight certain visual elements. Each of my pieces is made up of multiple maps which I cut out and layer on top of each other in between pieces of glass to create depth and texture."
"What I like the best about map cutting is the result... the possibility to create movement and other effects that the maps give me. I am always surprised to see that maps can create such a dynamic result. I like how the topography can resemble our bodies."
