“My material is the memory of the past; my subject is our present. Through sculpture, I seek to bring the legacies left by civilizations into dialogue with the questions of our time. Knowing what came before us allows us to better understand ourselves, to better understand others, and to shed light on the direction we want to give to our future.”

                                                                                                                  Jean-Sébastien RAUD

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Question 1 — Jean-Sébastien, what is the Gate of the Soul?

The Gate of the Soul is a sculpture that pays tribute to the great cultural, philosophical and spiritual legacies of humanity. I have brought together symbols from different civilizations: the pyramids, the moai of Easter Island, yin and yang, Ganesh, Maitreya, the future Buddha, Socrates, Abraham, Jesus, Mary and many others.

This work does not seek to say that all traditions are identical. It asks a much simpler question: What connects us despite our differences?

I would like everyone to be able to pass through this gate with their own perspective.

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Question 2 — Why did you choose a gate?

Because a gate is a universal symbol. A gate marks a passage. It can separate two spaces, but above all it allows them to be connected.

In the history of art, there are already great gates such as Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise or Rodin’s Gates of Hell. The Gate of the Soul belongs to this tradition. It simply opens another direction: that of the encounter between civilizations.

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Question 3 — Why did you bring these symbols together?

Because, for thousands of years, human beings have been asking themselves the same great questions. Who are we? Why are we here? How can we live together?

Each civilization has answered them through its culture, philosophy, beliefs or symbols. I wanted to pay tribute to this extraordinary diversity.

This work does not provide an answer. It invites everyone to continue their own reflection.

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Question 4 — Why did you choose these symbols rather than others?

Because a work of art is always a choice. I did not want to create an encyclopedia of civilizations. I chose symbols that have endured through time and that continue to speak to millions of people.

This gate works like a constellation: the more the symbolic elements are connected to one another, the more an invisible architecture appears. It is discovered somewhat like an enigma: beyond each symbol taken individually, the viewer can follow paths, discover correspondences and gradually build their own interpretation.

Moreover, the absence of a symbol never means that it lacks importance.

It simply reminds us that no single work can contain all the richness of humanity.

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Question 5 — Why is this work important today?

We live in a world where information circulates at extraordinary speed. Yet knowing many things does not always mean understanding what is essential.

By constantly looking toward the future, we sometimes risk forgetting the roots upon which our civilizations were built.

The Gate of the Soul is an invitation to rediscover this shared heritage. Because I believe that we build a solid future when we know our origins.

 

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Question 6 — Is it a religious work?

I would say that it is above all a work about humanity. It brings together cultural, philosophical and spiritual symbols.

A believer may see a religious dimension in it. A philosopher may find a reflection on the human condition. An art historian may see a dialogue between civilizations. And a child may simply discover a gate filled with figures to explore.

I do not wish to impose any interpretation. I simply want to create the desire to look.

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Question 7 — In what way is the Gate of the Soul a work of contemporary art?

This is an important question, because I do indeed use symbols and forms that may be several hundred, or even several thousand, years old.

But my intention is not to reproduce the past.

My material is the memory of the past; my subject is our present.

What is contemporary is the way in which I take these legacies and bring them into relation with one another so that they can produce a new meaning.

Malraux brought works from different civilizations together in his Imaginary Museum. Warburg, in his Mnemosyne Atlas, revealed new relationships by bringing together images from different periods.

This is quite close to my approach: Warburg thought through the montage of images; in Gate of the Soul, I think through the montage of symbols.

The Gate of the Soul is therefore not an accumulation of ancient symbols. I integrate them into a new composition, without seeking to alter their meaning, in order to question our present: what connects us? What do we pass on? And what place do we still give to the spiritual and to self-knowledge?

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Question 8 — Why does this work concern all of us?

Beyond our cultures, our religions and our nations, we all belong to humanity.

We are the heirs to a history far greater than ourselves.

Discovering this heritage does not distance us from our identity. On the contrary. It helps us better understand the identity of others… and often our own.

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Question 9 — In the age of artificial intelligence, why do we still need sculpture?

Because sculpture is one of humanity’s oldest languages.

Long before writing, human beings were already sculpting forms in order to transmit ideas.

A sculpture is also a presence. We move around it; we share the same space.

A pyramid, a moai or a prehistoric Venus still speaks to us today.

Technologies evolve. The great human questions remain.

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Question 10 — Artificial intelligence could produce thousands of versions of the Gate of the Soul. Why this one?

I am not afraid of artificial intelligence. I use it as a remarkable tool.

But a work of art cannot be reduced to its appearance. What gives it value is the human story it carries.

The Gate of the Soul is the result of nearly forty years of reflection, research, doubts and encounters.

As a teacher, I often say that creating is a form of meditation.

Artificial intelligence can produce images and forms, but only a human being can give them an intention, a story, a responsibility.

 

 

Question 11 — How can Gate of the Soul become an educational tool and a tool for dialogue?

Because symbols speak a universal language.

A sculpture speaks no language. And yet it can be understood in every language.

The power of a symbol is to make a complex idea visible.

From a single symbol, we can speak about history, philosophy, art or civilization. The sculpture then becomes a starting point.

Around it, we can imagine pathways, encounters, workshops, conferences or digital tools inviting everyone to discover the stories it brings together.

I have already experienced this with several of my previous works: high-school and university students have contacted me to work on their meaning and significance.

I believe that art does not replace a lesson. But it can make people want to learn.

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Question 12 — What is your wish for the Gate of the Soul?

I would like it to travel.

I would like it to be presented in museums, schools, universities, foundations or international institutions.

But above all, I would like it to become a place of encounter.

A place where people from different cultures take a few moments to look at the same work… and begin to exchange.

If this sculpture allows two people who would never otherwise have spoken to begin a dialogue, then it will have fully found its reason for being.

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Question 13 — Is there not a risk that your approach will be rejected by some people?

It is possible. No important work is universally accepted.

But my intention is not to erase differences. It is to show that we can be united in our diversity.

I am not asking anyone to change their culture or beliefs.

I am simply inviting everyone to discover those of others.

In a world marked by tensions, I think it would be a pity to give up creating works that seek to bring people closer together rather than set them against one another.

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Question 14 — Why did you choose the name the Gate of the Soul?

The word ‘soul’ seemed to me the most universal. Whatever our cultures, beliefs, or philosophies, the question of our inner life runs through many human traditions. Some speak of the soul, others of consciousness, spirit, or the breath of life. Buddhism, however, rejects the idea of a permanent and independent soul or self. Conceptions differ, but the question of what we are inwardly remains. Gate of the Soul does not ask what we believe. It invites us to ask what brings us together.

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Question 15 — Why do you mix religions? Isn’t that syncretism?

I do not mix religions.

I bring together symbols that belong to the history of civilizations.

The Gate of the Soul is not merely a gate of religions.

It is a gate of cultures, philosophies, myths, great figures of wisdom and the history of art.

I am not trying to merge traditions. I am trying to pay tribute to them.

I am not asking anyone to believe. I am simply inviting people to discover.

Bringing things closer together is not the same as confusing them; dialogue can be created without erasing differences.

 

 

Question 16 — Is your work a work of art or a spiritual object?

First of all, it is a work of art.

It belongs to an artistic history that enters into dialogue with Ghiberti and Rodin.

Then everyone is free to see in it whatever speaks to them.

A philosophical reflection. A spiritual work. A tribute to civilizations.

Or simply an invitation to better understand humanity.

I do not want to impose any interpretation. I leave everyone the freedom to choose their own.

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Question 17 — Why is Jesus at the center of the composition?

This choice can be explained on several levels.

First, it belongs to a history of Western art, from Ghiberti to Rodin, with which my work enters into dialogue.

Second, it reflects my path as a French artist, formed within a culture deeply marked by Christianity.

Finally, Jesus is a major figure in the religious and cultural history of humanity: coming from the Jewish world, the central figure of Christianity, he also occupies an important place in Islam.

But Christ is not necessarily the entry point into the work for every visitor.

Some will first be drawn to Ganesh, Maitreya, the future Buddha, Socrates, the pyramids or the moai.

And that is precisely what interests me: everyone can enter Gate of the Soul through what is familiar to them, and then move toward what they know less about.

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Question 18 — Why is Islam not represented?

I did not represent the Prophet Muhammad, out of respect for a tradition which, in its very great majority, does not wish him to be represented figuratively.

Islam is, however, present indirectly.

Abraham is represented and is a major figure shared by the three Abrahamic traditions.

Moses, Jesus and Mary also occupy an important place in the Quran.

For me, respecting a tradition also means respecting the way in which it wishes to be represented… or not represented.

 

 

Question 19 — Is this work a profession of faith?

No.

Like everyone, I have a personal history and convictions.

But I do not want the visitor to wonder what I believe.

I would rather they ask themselves what this work inspires in them.

Gate of the Soul does not invite people to share my convictions. It invites everyone to look at it through their own.

 

 

Question 20 — Why are there not more women represented?

I do not share that impression.

The composition brings together many major female figures: Mary, Kuan Yin, Isis, prehistoric and Cycladic Venuses, Hina, the feminine principle of Yin, the female Foo lion and the female figure at the top of the work.

My aim was not to establish a statistical balance between men and women.

I wanted to pay tribute to the great legacies of humanity through their most representative symbols.

A work of art is neither an inventory nor a ranking.

It is a composition.

 

 

Question 21 — Who are you to represent the traditions of the world?

No one.

Or rather… simply an artist.

Just as a writer enters into dialogue with Homer, or a musician with Bach, I enter into dialogue with the great symbols that have endured through the centuries.

I do not speak on behalf of the traditions.

I pay tribute to them.

My role is to bring them together without confusing them, and to give rise to dialogue.

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