Jacques Ozika is a woodcarver from the Traput tribe.

It was while watching his maternal uncle that the artist discovered his passion for the material. He went on to obtain a diploma in carpentry and cabinetmaking, and trained in pyrography.

By joining the Nouméa sculptors' association, he shares the know-how of his peers.

He combines his daily work with tribal life, punctuated by work in the fields and fishing.

He works mainly with sandalwood and gaiac, which he shapes into totem poles, architraves and other objects. He cuts the wood a week before creating his work, always during the waning moon, when sap flows down to the roots. He then immerses the wood in the sea for a day, likening it to a sponge. The drying stage is essential for him, as it guarantees the sculpture's longevity.

His customers' often very precise orders challenge him both technically and aesthetically, and motivate him to achieve perfection.

Jacques draws his inspiration from Lifou's natural environment: the silence of deep-sea dives, hours spent in the forest or contemplating the stalagmite shapes of the Drehu caves.

At the bottom of his sculptures, we find the totemic animal of the land or sea clan. Then, under his wood chisels, appear the slingshot, the crown and face of the ancestor.