Jack Jano

Jack Jano (born 1950) (Hebrew: ז'אק ז'אנו ) is a Moroccan-Israeli sculptor and painter. He is best knownon for his works that combine various materials such as stone, metal, wood, iron, books, and recycled materials. Jano's creations often incorporate letters and combinations of words from the Bible, alongside ritual symbols like candles and tefillin. His sculptures explore themes of wandering, transience, and the search for cultural and geographical identity. Jano is particularly noted for using construction waste to create houses, which are often depicted being carried on a ship, wheelbarrow, or wheels, reminiscent of his childhood in Morocco.
==Biography==
Jano was born in 1950 in Fez, Morocco. When he was seven years old, he migrated with his parents to the town of Shlomi in Israel. After completing his military service in the Navy, Jano moved to Jerusalem and studied at Bezalel, although he did not finish his studies. In 1976, he embarked on a journey through Europe and India, spending six months in the city of Guru Osho in India. Osho advised him to return to Israel and find his calling within one of the courts of the Hasidic rabbis. Following Osho's advice, Jano returned to Israel, got married to Suzanne, and they went on to have eight children. During the 1980s, they split their time between Jerusalem and New York, and as of 2021, they reside in Kalil, northern Israel.
==Artistic Creations==
Jano's artistic creations primarily involve sculpting with stone, metal, wood, iron, books, and recycled materials. His works often combine letters and words from the Bible with other ritual symbols, such as candles and tefillin. The themes of his sculptures revolve around wandering, transience, and the exploration of cultural and geographical identity. Jano frequently utilizes construction waste to construct houses that are depicted being carried on various modes of transportation, such as ships, wheelbarrows, or wheels. These houses draw inspiration from Jano's childhood in Morocco and bear resemblance to the tombs of saints and sheiks in their architectural forms.
Since 1979, Jano has expressed his North African origin and personal biography through his artwork. Early in his career, he exhibited small oil paintings in the kibbutz gallery, including portraits of rabbis and tzaddiks from Eastern countries wearing turbans, reminiscent of the portraits he knew from his childhood. According to researcher David Shaferber, Jano's paintings of the righteous serve as a kind of experiment in useful magic, raising questions about identity and connections to folk worship traditions. Even in his later works inspired by his childhood in Morocco, Jano's preoccupation with popular folklore returns with a post-orientalist perspective.
In one of his statements, Jano reflected on the reception of his artwork: "The Tel Aviv Museum will not present me alive... why? Because Jack Jano presents Jewish, Moroccan interests, and art that uses religion. Because I don't copy enough art from outside the country, if I would copy, and show a foreign influence, then I would join all the sororities. But since I try to be real - so I am not shown there. This is Israel's Ahmadinejad, in Israeli culture - someone takes a place and controls the affairs, he has no authority. Years on For years, one person sits, chooses who he wants and deletes who he wants - and that's art."
==Solo Exhibitions==
Jano has held numerous solo exhibitions throughout his career. Some notable exhibitions include:
1987 – "Rachel's Tomb", Artists' House, Jerusalem
1991 – "In the house of my dreams", art studio, Yavne
1992 – "Jack Jano: Works", Havama Gallery, Jerusalem
1993 – "Jack Jano: Works", Mbat Gallery, Jerusalem
1994 – "Jack Jano: Works", Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1994 – "Installation with anonymous chickens", Herzliya Museum of Art, Herzliya
1995 – "Jack Jano: Works", Nachshon Gallery, Kibbutz Nachshon
1995 – "Selfish", Ashdod Museum of Art, Ashdod
1995 – "Journey", Yanko Dada Museum, Ein Hod
1995 – "Hai 18", Mani H Gallery, Tel Aviv
1997 – "Jack Jano: Works", Rosh Hankara Gallery, Rosh Hankara
1997 – "Jack Jano: Works", the Cultural Center, Shlomi
1998 – "House of Life", Kalisher Gallery, Tel Aviv
1998 - "Do not forsake me as the limits of my strength", Meni H Gallery, Tel Aviv
1999 – "I will be what I will be", Tel Hai Museum, Tel Hai
2000 – "Trovador in material and three-dimensional", The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
2001 – "As Above So Below", Artspace Gallery, Jerusalem
2001 - "The inside sees the outside", Yanko Dada Museum, Ein Hod
2002 – "How terrible is this place", Netanya Municipal Gallery
2004 – "Souedah", Mishkan Ha'Amani, Herzliya
2005 – "Rachel's Tomb", Center for Israeli Art, Munich, Germany
2006 - "Reviving the Dead", Beit Uri Vermi Nehushtan, Ashted Ya'akov
2007 – "Jack Jano: Works", Gal-On Art Space, Tel Aviv
2007 - "In Process", Kfar Saba Municipal Gallery, Reizel Culture House, Kfar Saba
2008 - "Nikvot", the Yosef Constant sculpture gallery, Ramat Gan
2009 - "By your own hands", Berer Art Center, Ma'alot
2010 – "Just a Writer", Engel Gallery, Tel Aviv
2011 – "Perish Mish", Engel Gallery, Tel Aviv
2014 - "The place to which it is connected", The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
2015 – "Basics", Engel Gallery, Tel Aviv
2017 – "Law of Superposition", Venice
==Permanent Statues==
Jano's permanent statues can be found at the following locations:
1996 – "The Statue of Liberty" in Sderot Ben-Zvi, Jerusalem
1999 – "Because man is the tree of the field" in the Sculpture Garden, Haim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan
"Your Home" at The Open Museum Tafen, Tafen
==Scholarships and Awards==
Jano has received several scholarships and awards throughout his career, including:
1989 – Award for completion of work, Ministry of Education and Culture
1991 – International Prize, International Artists' Competition, "The Sita", Paris, France
1994 – Prize for creators in the fields of plastic arts, Ministry of Science and Arts
1996 – Shoshana Ish Shalom Prize, for a special contribution to art, Jerusalem Municipality
2006 – The Encouragement of Creation Award, Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports
Category:1950 births
Category:People from Fez, Morocco
Category:Israeli people
Category:Sculptors
Category:Painters