Vodou Riche catalogue

Vodou Riche: contemporary Haitian Art

Vodou Riche

Contemporary Haitian Art

[C]Spaces: Glass Curtain Gallery August 27–October 16, 2007

Vodou Riche: Contemporary Haitian Art

about the exhibition

Vodou Riche: Contemporary Haitian Art is a group exhibition of recent work created within the social, political and spiritual context of Vodou, Haiti’s national religion. These artists embrace a history of appropriating imagery and incorporating found objects, a practice born from necessity and great invention. Haitian art absorbs and interprets visual culture so masterfully because Vodou was born and survived due to its history of accommodation and inclusion.

Vodou is a Creole religion that is rooted in a number of different West and Central African religions brought to the Caribbean with enslaved people. African religious practices were condemned and forbidden in the young colony of Haiti and Christianity was strictly enforced. But African deities could not be stamped out, rather they were reborn in the guise of Catholic saints. These New World deities were based on African models, but also influenced by European religion and custom. Over time, as Vodou’s existence went from underground to mainstream, the saints and the spirits fused into one where an image of the Madonna and Child can represent Mary and Jesus, or Ezili Danto and Anais, or both simultaneously.

Vodou developed side by side with the new independent nation, the first “Black Republic” in the Western Hemisphere.

It has become more than a religion, but a culture and way of life that infiltrates all of Haitian society and has inspired Haitian artists for hundreds of years. Vodou Riche draws less from the history of Vodou art in Haiti, but rather situates itself firmly in the current world, where the arts of Vodou are dramatically different than just a decade ago. As Haitian artists embrace new methods and media, their work grows increasingly vital in the global art world. In Haiti and its diaspora, artwork spans from urban artist collectives who create monumental sculpture from reclaimed materials to established artists who deconstruct traditional Haitian genres to illustrate contemporary issues. This spiritual and physical reappropriation of ideas and iconography that led to the birth of Vodou informs today’s artistic practice of improvisation and reconstruction. Many of the artists in Vodou Riche reassign materials to illustrate contemporary notions, encouraging viewers to reconsider the use and value of individual objects, be it commercial, mundane, or even taboo. This multimedia exhibition presents the wide array of visual culture that is modern day Haiti.

Part of Columbia College’s Critical Encounters focus, Poverty and Privilege, Vodou Riche: Contemporary Haitian Art challenges Haiti’s oft-used label “the poorest country in the Western hemisphere” by presenting the abundance and wealth of Haiti’s creative output. While their country battles socioeconomic problems, Haitian artists embrace the richness of their culture by capturing Haiti’s irrepressible, vibrant and triumphant spirit.

Neysa Page-Lieberman Curator and Director of [C]Spaces

artists

Featuring

Evelyn Alcide Roudy Azor Gabriel Bien-Aime Jean Herard Celeur Myrlande Constant Maxence Denis Obelto Desire Civil Didier Edouard Duval-Carrie Andre Eugene Jacques Eugene Phyllis Galembo Frantz Jacques Veronique Leriche Fischetti Jean Camillle Nasson Frantz Zephirin

Drapo Flags (vodou Flags)

The most celebrated genre of Vodou sacred art is the lavishly decorated ritual flags called drapo. Backed with satin or velvet, and adorned with sequins, beads and appliquÊ, drapo are presented at the beginning of Vodou ceremonies to honor the spirits and enliven the energies of their devotees. Historically, each drapo was dedicated to a single spirit or lwa, incorporating that spirit’s iconography in the form of a veve, or sacred symbol. The existence of veve comes from the multitude of Creole influences including African symbols, Catholic processional banners, French military ensigns and Masonic flags. Traditional flags were smaller in size, simpler in design and had a geometric border and fringe. The flags chosen for this exhibition reflect the new movement in drapo making which breaks from tradition in many ways. This style is much more painterly than the traditional tapestry-like flags in which the sequins composed the surface, and beads were used only to secure the sequins. New flags exhibit gigantic size, replace sequins with thousands of tiny beads and display compositionally complex, multi-narrative scenes in a highly figurative style. Although veve still appear as details on drapo, they are no longer the central image. The new generation of flagmakers, led by by Myrlande Constant take on all kinds of themes, including ceremonies, spirit possession, celebrations, human joy and sorrow, and everyday scenes of life. While still used ceremonially, drapo are increasingly popular on the international art market and many flags are created exclusively as art to be sold and exhibited. The premiere drapo makers run ateliers with multiple assistants. The work in this exhibit was made by the leaders in drapo art and exemplifies the depth and breadth of this exciting, ever-changing art form.

Beads on Satin Marilyn Holberg ColLection

agaou et maitre defile, 2006

Evelyn Alcide

Evelyn Alcide studied under renowned drapo artist Myrlande Constant, assisting in her atelier before establishing herself as a master flag artist. Today, Alcide is one of Haiti’s leading artists, furthering the new style and technique of drapo making, first initiated by Constant. Alcide, in turn takes young artists under her wing teaching them the art form until they can open their own atelier. The artist’s multilayered stories and highly detailed images are drawn from her own life experiences and are deeply informed by a relative who is a powerful houngan (priest) in the area.

Finding inspiration in the exciting performances, rituals and spirit possessions she witnesses at Vodou ceremonies, Alcide weaves her stories into compelling works of art.

In this exciting and tension-filled image, a man battles with the Vodou deities, Agaou, the god of thunder and Defile, who symbolizes the devil. Alcide uses the image of Agaou frequently, depicting the deity with a headdress of snakes.

Agaou et Maitre Defile is action packed with heightened drama lent by the scintillating, gleaming beads that catch the light and set the work aflame. The narrative pictures a man who has sold his soul to the devil, and now the spirits are coming to collect. The figure is leaping over a fire, blocked in by Defile on one side and Agaou on the other. With no way out, he is panicked and loses his hat in an attempt to escape. Various objects get jostled around the scene as a battle is set to begin. Agaou’s entangled snakes perk up, hissing and winding around, while Defile’s tail has scooped up the bag of money that was previously exchanged for the man’s soul. Agaou et Maitre Defile is an Alcide masterpiece, illustrating the artist’s firm command of dramatic effect through this compelling design and exuberant palette. In addition, the artist has composed a moral lesson, cautioning the viewer to preserve your honor and dignity no matter what life brings.

beads on satin Marilyn Houlberg Collection

Erzulie MapiAngue, 2007

Roudy Azor

Roudy Azor studied in the atelier of Evelyn Alcide before starting his own studio. Many of Alcide’s stylistic influences can be seen in his work, especially in their portraits of Agaou in this exhibition, as the deity is adorned with a headdress of snakes. Indeed Azor has an incredible style of his own, seen here in the dazzling hyper-detailed patterning and crisp clarity of form. The expression and depth of his subjects is also illustrative of this new style of flag making in contemporary Vodou of which he is one of the few male leaders. Marilyn Houlberg who collected this flag has documented that Azor frequently goes into trance when he prepares to work on his flags and always keeps a camera in his workshop so he can document his process. He asserts that Vodou is the way that ancestors can come back to help Haitians stay strong and improve their country.

Erzulie Mapiangue belongs to the family of spirits known as Ezili Danto. Traditionally, Ezili Danto’s image has come from the Catholic chromolithographs of the “Black Madonnas” and the Madonnas holding children, such as Mater Salvatoris and Our Lady of Czestochowa. In Vodou, the child in Danto’s arms is understood to be her daughter, Anais. A single mom herself, Ezili Danto is the patron of mothers and children, and interestingly warriors too.

Vodou mythology says that the scratches on Danto’s cheeks come from her role in the Haitian revolution when she fought for Haiti’s independence. It is also said that her tongue was cut off in the war and her daughter dutifully translates for her in Vodou ceremonies. Danto is known to be a fierce protector of all children and a powerful avenger to those who cross her. Her rising power in the Vodou pantheon is set off by the artist’s superb definition of detail and the gorgeous vibrancy of the beads.

Sculpted Steel Oil Drum Laurie Beasely Collection

Adam and eve, 2005

Gabriel Bien-Aime

Gabriel Bien-Aime was born in Croix-de-Bouquets, a culturally rich city 10 miles northeast of Port-auPrince which is a major center for Vodou and the place of origin for Haiti’s unique ironwork tradition.

Bien-Aime and his colleagues work with steel drums as a medium. The drums, once used to transport oil, are flattened into wide sheets and hammered to soften the metal. Images are cut out with a hammer and chisel, and embellishments such as surface patterning or metal chains are added.

Bien-Aime worked as an auto mechanic for several years until the age of 20 when he apprenticed to the innovative metalworkers in the area. Today, BienAime is considered one of Haiti’s leading sculptors and his work has been exhibited internationally and published widely.

The monumental Adam and Eve shows Bien-Aime’s personal take on the Christian creation story. One of his favorite topics, the battle of the sexes is explored through a particularly feminist viewpoint. Eve is an omnipotent figure, unfalteringly holding the key to the future. She holds the fruit precariously close to Adam and he attempts to grab her hand and usurp her power. All eyes watch Eve and anticipate her next move: the snake (likely doubling as the Vodou spirit, Dambala) swings down from the tree, inches from her face; Adam stares intently; and the oversized bird above them watches protectively with wings spread wide. The tension increases as the garden utopia encroaches on the figures, attempting to persuade the unwavering Eve. The artist revisits and reconstructs the story by imbuing Eve with an exceptional ability to control the fate of this microcosm, and invites the viewer to anticipate her decision. Although Bien-Aime depicts Adam and Eve as equals (they are rendered in equal size and raise their arms ready to defend their positions), Eve holds the key to the future in her hand, and the artist’s confidence and empathy lie with her.

The Sculptors of Grand Rue

Grand Rue is the main avenue that runs through downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. At the southern end of Grand Rue, amidst a labyrinth of back streets, there is a close-knit community that is at once a makeshift car repair area and a burgeoning arts district. The “Sculptors of the Grand Rue,” as they are now referred, include Andre Eugene, Jean Herard Celeur and Frantz Jacques (Guyodo). The three artists with no formal art training grew up in this atmosphere and inherited a practice of industrious recycling and artistic innovation. Their powerful sculptural collages of car engines, electronic equipment, hubcaps, discarded lumber and a myriad of other found materials have transformed a failing economy into a bold and activist arts community. The artists’ work references their shared African cultural and spiritual heritage and the powerful acts of assemblage and transformation.

Extending their historical legacy to the contemporary art world, the Sculptors of Grand Rue lead this radical, post-modern art form.

Mixed Media courtesy of the artist

Ezili Danto, 2005

Andre Eugene

Andre Eugene is the progenitor of the Grand Rue movement. Eugene’s first career was in construction and building houses. Inspired by the creative energy of his neighborhood, he learned traditional wood sculpting.

Much of Eugene’s current work is figurative, often using human skulls from the local cemetery for heads and imbued with irony, sexuality and humor, often to the extreme.

The recycled and reassigned objects used in Eugene’s constructions show the artist’s infinite capacity for improvisation and his keen eye for visual potency. Eugene’s influences include his contemporaries as well as fantastical, large-scale sacred sculptures used in Vodou rituals and ceremonies.

Originally titled Legba, the Vodou spirit of the crossroads, this piece had a name change to that of Ezili Danto, the goddess of mothers and warriors. It was only after the piece was finished that its true identity revealed itself to the artist. Eugene explains that he determined the correct identity of his sculpture when he reassessed the pig’s head in the hands of the spirit – Danto’s devotees offer her pigs to eat. In addition, the spirit’s female identity is seen in the exaggerated genitalia. Ezili Danto is said to have no spouse, unlike many other deities, and is fiercely devoted to her daughter, Anais. She is associated with black pigs and prefers the offerings of raw rum, fried pork, and unfiltered cigarettes. The artist adds that Ezili Danto is also the patron of lesbians, one of her more modern attributions.

wood, metal, mixed media courtesy of Locust Project , MiamI

untitled (three Figures on Motorcycles), c. 2001

Jean Herard Celeur

Jean Herard Celeur was trained in traditional Haitian sculpture by his brother and gradually became very experimental.

Much of his subject matter portrays Christian and Vodou iconography, adorned with mirrors, nails and found material.

The work in this exhibition is considered one of his most powerful pieces to date. Text from the website of the Sculptors of Grand Rue aptly compares this piece to the horsemen of the Apocalypse, “three skulls crown three skeletal equine contraptions made from motorcycle chassis.” One might also decide this is a depiction of the Vodou spirit, Gede. The central figure presents a massive phallus, and is supported by flanking partners presenting further sexual depictions.

An unusually large phallus is often a tip-off that Gede is present- the spirit of death, sexuality and in this case, dark humor, as the three attributes go hand in hand. Although Gede is deeply revered, this work is indeed intended to make light of sexuality in all its forms. Furthermore, the work references Vodou’s openness towards death, allowing people to “face death” head on- to question, confront, taunt, and accept death- and Celeur’s work gives this opportunity to all of us.

At the core of Celeur’s work is a deep connection to activism: “My work has social and intellectual aspects and represents the people’s demands for change. I live in the reality that deals with poverty everyday which informs my work all the time.”

mixed media Courtesy of Bill Bollendorf

Erzulie, 2005

Frantz Jacques (Guyodo)

Frantz Jacques (Guyodo) was born in the Grand Rue district of Port-au-Prince, where he continues to live and work. His artwork is heavily influenced by assemblage and the incorporation of found objects. Guyodo is highly prolific, known to work fast and focused. His versatile style leads him to create monumental works, often reclaiming the materials from abandoned cars, as well as smaller, brightly painted devotional objects such as this electrifying depiction of Erzulie [Freda].

Erzulie Freda, goddess of love and luxury, is a flirtatious, refined Creole woman. The love she seeks is forever unrequited, causing her to be portrayed as a woman both forlorn and insatiable. Her veve, or sacred Vodou symbol, is a heart pierced with a knife to show her capacity for love and her eternal pain. Guyodo says of Erzulie that, “she gives much opportunity to those she likes, but she’s very jealous and demands her conditions be respected and her demands met. For example, she always wants a day of the week to be exclusively dedicated to her, especially Saturdays.”

Guyodo’s depiction of the deity reflects a modern punk-rock attitude, representing a goddess ready for combat. Gone are the trappings of a demure lady, Erzulie’s acid green flesh and veve tattoos are those of a tough gal who calls the shots.

Spirits of death (Gede, Grann Brigitte and Bawon Samd), 2006 Acrylic on canvas marilyn houlberg collection

Civil Didier

Didier Civil is a painter and papier-mache artist who grew up in Jacmel, an arts hub of Haiti. Civil was schooled at Ecole Frere Clement in Jacmel and he is the founder and director of the Centre Formation Artistique de Jacmel (CFAJ), an art collective dedicated to supporting artists and mentoring destitute children. Civil is renowned for his expressionistic-surreal hybrid style of painting. While his environments create a dreamlike state of reality, he portrays the very humanistic side of Vodou where spirits exist most fully in the bodies and minds of their followers.

Spirits of Death represents Gede, a family of spirits who personify ancestors and sexual regeneration. In this group reside Grann Brigitte and Bawon Samdi. Bawon Samdi is the leader of the Gedes, represented by the cross, because he stands at the crossroads of the living and the dead. Bawon is married to Grann Brigitte, the mother of the Gedes.

Devotees of Gede wear black and purple, and incorporate graveyard symbols in their rituals. Gede, who wears sunglasses because the living world is too bright, has dynamic personality traits including trickster, sage counselor and benevolent healer.

The artist identifies the main figure in these paintings as Grann Brigitte. Bawon Samdi and other Gede spirits are represented by the crosses and their favorite foods--bottles of hot peppers, bananas, herring and cassava.

“I represent Grann Brigitte with bones and a little flesh because the spirit and the person overlap within the body… Grann Brigitte represents the first girl who died in a cemetery… and Bawon the first boy.” Brigitte’s face is covered with powder and her nostrils have been stuffed with cotton which symbolizes the passage of life to death. Her fists are clenched to represent her vigor and her powerful influence on people’s lives.

She smokes a pipe because she likes natural tobacco.

The skulls dotting all three paintings symbolize loved ones who have died, but are always remembered and honored.

Beads on Satin Marilyn Houlberg collection

Marinette Bois cheche, 2006

Myrlande Constant

Born in Port-au-Prince, Constant has been making drapo (Vodou flags) for only a decade but has risen to become the leading drapo artist in Haiti. She initially learned how to sew sequins and beads onto fabric from her mother who worked in a wedding dress factory. Combining her skills with her deep knowledge of Vodou from her father who was a houngan (Vodou priest), she began making flags and within a short period of time completely innovated the art form. The current style of flag making- incredibly ornate and densely beaded flags, often of monumental size- was initiated by Constant which was further developed by her assistants who became artists in their own right. Constant’s principal innovation is using seed beads and bugle beads as the primary material instead of the traditional sequins.

Using these smaller units allows her to use beads as pigments, giving the imagery a richly textured, painterly feel.

Constant’s drapo display a mastery of color and employ a perspective and three-dimensionality previously unknown to the medium. Because of Constant’s dominant role in the field, she opened up doors to women artists in an art form that has long been the domain of men. Constant and her female colleagues are now leading the field and defining its future.

Marinette Bois Cheche, the subject of Constant’s flag, is considered an angry and vicious deity. She in becoming increasingly popular in Haiti, where ceremonies held for her incorporate huge fires on which salt and petrol are thrown.

Her Catholic counterpart is Anima Sola (which Constant’s image is based) who can either free one from bondage or drag one back. This image is equally open-ended since some view this deity with heroic strength, an agent of her own freedom. However Marinette’s intimidating persona precedes her in most cases. Her name translates into “Marinette of the Dry Arms” suggesting that she is skeletal. She is most dreaded at night where she wanders the woods with werewolves. Marinette is boastful about her crimes too- Constant informed the flag’s owner that Marinette once confessed, “I’ve eaten 30,000 souls and I’m still hungry…”

Constant captures Marinette’s bone-chilling reputation as she calmly and coolly breaks her shackles while the striking red and orange flames threaten to engulf her.

mixed media, monitor Courtesy of the artist

Untitled installation, 2006

Maxence Denis

Maxence Denis is a film director and video artist who plays with the contrasts between the moving images of video and abstract still images, the collision between reality and fantasy. The visual poetry of his installations is intended to engage the audience and provoke self-questioning. The artist says that through his work he seeks to reveal the lesser-known soul of his native country. Denis has participated in many shows and artist residencies around the world, including the 51st Venice Biennial in 2005. He lives in Jacmel, a coastal town south of the capital, where he continues to produce art while running Fondasyon Kroma, a shelter for homeless children. Denis is affiliated with FOSAJ, a non-profit arts institution created to empower the Haitian people through art and cultural initiatives.

Like other works in this show, Denis’s piece incorporates the Vodou technique of reusing and recycling discarded objects to make sacred sculpture. But Denis juxtaposes a small monitor that casts an eerie glow over the iconographic arrangement. It is the manifestation of ancient traditions meeting the 21st century as Haitian artists are increasingly informed by technology and media.

Mixed Media Courtesy of Fosaj (fondation sant d’a jakmel)

Untitled, 2007

Obelto Desire

Obelto Desire was born in La Montagne, Jacmel.

Ever since his childhood he loved to draw but it was not until he was 26 that he painted on canvas for the first time. Since then Desire has dedicated himself to art, especially painting. He is best known for his landscape paintings that are inspired by his everyday surroundings. More recently Desire has begun working in sculpture and assemblage, producing experimental work that uses recycled materials to express spiritual and cultural ideas. Desire is a member of FOSAJ (Fondation Sant D’A Jakmel), a nonprofit institution in Jacmel, Haiti that seeks to empower Haitian people through art and cultural initiatives. FOSAJ has made a great impact in the community, supporting and furthering the careers of hundreds of artists and improving the economy through increased tourism to the area.

Denis’s piece depicts a small figure nestled in a blanket in a casket, with an abstracted halo composed of metal that has been shaped into foliage and hearts. Seemingly a devotional piece or small altar, the sculpture symbolizes a final resting place for a loved one. The materials used are representative of the artist’s inventiveness. Upon close inspection, one will see the figure is actually made from a shoe, with the face depicted on the bottom of the heel. The artist does not disguise the materials but he does require a keen eye to appreciate the full impact of his work. Wrapped up in the blanket is a little offering, a small bottle of rum to carry to the afterlife.

mixed media on metal courtesy of bernice steinbaum Gallery

My Life as a Tree, 2007

EdOuard Duval-Carrie

Edouard Duval-Carrie was born in Port-au-Prince and studied in Puerto Rico, New York and Montreal where he received a BA in Urbanism at the University of Loyola Montreal. He received a scholarship to the Ecole Beaux de Arts in Paris and eventually settled in Florida where he still lives and works. Duval-Carrie’s work is influenced by Haitian tradition and culture, especially Vodou. His highly political work has focused on reinterpreting personalities from the complex pantheon of Vodou deities to make political commentary about modern day Haiti. His style is composed of elements from both the self-taught and hyperrealism schools of traditional Haitian art, combined with his own postmodernist interpretations.

My Life As A Tree is a self-portrait of the artist. Duval-Carrie’s tree has its roots exposed, rather than underground.

Born in Haiti, studying in several countries and ultimately settling in Miami, the artist’s personification as an uprooted tree implies that he belongs to no one land. Duval-Carrie’s work is that of extremes- his whimsical, yet biting imagery incorporates his knowledge of the difficult reality of Haitian life combined with his insuppressible hope for the future of the country. This series features cutout aluminum panels depicting tree branches hung with hummingbirds, flowers and disembodied eyes. The panels have been illuminated from behind with a multitude of tiny white lights, lending an otherworldly glow symbolizing all of the artist’s “realities,” while the trees bear the fruit of contrasts.

sculpted steel oil drum, chains courtesy of ridge Art

Bossou, 2007

Jacques Euguene

Jacques Eugene works in his own atelier in Haiti’s center of metal art, Croix-des-Bouquets. Unlike many other metal workers, Eugene works very independently, only employing assistants to clean the oil drums before he sculpts them. He never uses templates to sculpt, but creates a new, unique design with each piece and does all of his own cutting and finishing. Bossou exemplifies a more decorative and detailed approach to metal work that some artists in Croix-des-Bouquets are exploring. An abundance of surface detail, patterning and texture define this new style. Bossou, the bull spirit and protective bodyguard, appears here in multiples. His many horns reflect his extra potency and capacity to do the work asked of him by his devotees.

Ilfochrome courtesy of the artist

Rara, Artibonite Valley, Easter Sunday, 2006

Phyllis Galembo

Phyllis Galembo has been photographing masquerade traditions in Africa and the African diaspora since 1985 when she went to Nigeria to document priests’ and priestesses’ roles in sacred ceremonies. In 1993, the artist became interested in the New World counterparts to African religious customs and traveled to Haiti where she began photographing the rituals and masquerades of the Vodou culture and religion. In 2006, she traveled to the Artibonite Valley of Haiti where she documented the Vodou carnival, Rara and captured important Rara performers in the latest style of costume. Galembo’s collaborative approach to photography is evident in her work, as she asks the subjects to choose their dress and environment for the photos.

RARA Rara is at once a season, festival, masquerade, music, religious ritual, dance and method of political protest. The Rara celebration begins at the same time as the Catholic carnival and continues through Easter. With roots in Western and Central Africa, many of the songs that are played today have been passed down for generations. Local Rara societies form musical parading bands that walk for miles and attract fans, pausing at important religious spots like cemeteries and temples where they honor the ancestors. Musicians play drums, sing, and sound bamboo horns and tin trumpets. The festival is practiced all over Haiti, with the art, music and dance varying by region.

Mixed Media Courtesy of the Artist

Exodus, 2006

Veronique Leriche Fischetti

Veronique Leriche Fischetti was born in Leogane, Haiti and arrived in the U.S. in 1998. Shortly after arriving, she was inspired by the similarities she discovered in the contemporary art of the West with the native arts of her homeland, and became an artist.

With an ambitious start, she combined several media such as sculpture, embroidery, painting and collage to create a unique body of work that both reflects her cultural heritage and embraces her contemporary vision.

“Exodus is a playful spirit that takes the form of Dambala-Wedo in order to secure his offspring in their journey through the Vodou cosmos,” explains the artist. Dambala-Wedo is a husband and wife dual-spirit. Dambala is the ancient serpent spirit and Ayida Wedo is the rainbow spirit. Together they are associated with water, rain, wisdom and fertility. The two are often pictured entwined as “Dambala-Wedo,” as seen in Exodus where the spirits are so tightly bound it is impossible to distinguish where one begins and the other ends.

The act of wrapping or tightly binding sacred objects for Vodou altars is meant to increase their potency as power objects. The more powerful an object is, the greater its capacity for doing good work for its devotees.

wood, steel, mixed media courtesy of ridge art gallery

legba, 2005

Jean Camillle Nasson

Jean Camille Nasson lives in the small village of Riviere-Froide, just outside of Port-au-Prince. He began sculpting at age 8, and his first job was to produce sculptures for the local cemetery. In his early teens he began working with religious-themed art until he was introduced to outside artistic influences by his contemporaries. Nasson frequently combines Christian and Vodou iconography, sculpting figures from wood, combined with nails, metal and other found material. He has become highly influential to many younger artists, including the sculptors on the Grand Rue Nasson depicts the Vodou spirit Legba, guardian of the crossroads, who aids in communication between the spirit and human worlds. He is often represented by a cross and sometimes takes the guise of the Catholic Saint Peter since they both hold the “key” to the gates. Legba is rooted in the African Yoruba deity, Eshu, and is the first spirit honored at Vodou ceremonies who can open lines of communication with all the deities. Legba symbolizes the meeting point of many things, including life and death, male and female, and physical and metaphysical.

Nasson’s Legba celebrates the Vodou aesthetic of power in obscurity. In many African and diaspora art forms, the most powerful part of an object is that which cannot be seen. Nasson’s depiction of Legba is purposefully abstract but hints at underlying beauty, as he sparingly reveals a hidden layer of ornately carved metal, which peeks through the patina of the dark, winged, distorted Legba.

acrylic on masonite Bill Bollendorf Collection

spirits of fire, 2006

Frantz Zephirin

Frantz Zephirin was born in Cap Haitian and started painting at the age of 7, after watching his uncle, Antoine Obin, paint in his studio. He also received training from his grandmother who embroidered and often asked him to draw flowers for her work. Zephirin’s work is characterized by political, social and religious content that is highly detailed, intensely colored and intricately patterned. He describes himself as a “historic animalist,” likely referring to his surreal imagery that depicts the transformation of historic figures into animals- imagery that is rife with social criticism.

Zephirin’s imagination is inexhaustible as seen in the hyper-surreal paintings in this exhibition. In describing Spirits of Fire, the artist says, “the painting depicts the two wives of Ogun, the lwa of war and fire. They were introduced to Ogun by Dambala. Ogun covered them with fire in order to make them his own.” Ogun, or Ogou, names a family of warrior spirits from the West African deity of the same name. Ogou fights for justice but his temper gets him into trouble and he must often be calmed. He is the patron of all things iron, and though this portrait shows a decidedly different side of the deity’s personality, he is associated with healing and fertility.

Altar for the lwa

Vodou altars are created to honor and invoke the pantheon of lwa (spirits). Altars can vary greatly in style and composition, from a sprawling installation in a temple to a small, private space in someone’s home. No matter where they are, they provide a meeting point for humans and spirits, where people can ask for good fortune in love and health, and in return make offerings to please the spirits. An altar is a “living” art form since objects rotate and people leave and replace offerings constantly. The objects left on altars can include unique works of art, images of the lwa, special foods, luxury items and symbolic objects that describe the personality of each spirit. Local artist, Rowynn Michelle Dumont, was invited to create this altar to the spirits that are invoked by the artists in this exhibition. Dumont has a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, majoring in Studies in Taboo Religions and Sexuality.

Columbia College Chicago

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Mission

Columbia is an undergraduate and graduate college whose principal commitment is to provide a comprehensive educational opportunity in the arts, communications, and public information within a context of enlightened liberal education. Columbia’s intent is to educate students who will communicate creatively and shape the public’s perceptions of issues and events and who will author the culture of their times. Columbia is an urban institution whose students reflect the economic, racial, cultural, and educational diversity of contemporary America. Columbia conducts education in close relationship to a vital urban reality and serves important civic purpose by active engagement in the life and culture of the City of Chicago.

Columbia’s purpose is:

• to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of the arts and media and to encourage awareness of their aesthetic relationship and the opportunity of professional choice among them • to extend educational opportunity by admitting unreservedly (at the undergraduate level) a student population with creative ability in, or inclination to, the subjects of Columbia’s interest • to provide a college climate that offers students an opportunity to try themselves out, to explore, and to discover what they can and want to do • to give educational emphasis to the work of a subject by providing a practical setting, professional facilities, and the example and guidance of an inventive faculty who work professionally at the subjects they teach • to teach students to do expertly the work they like, to master the crafts of their intended occupations, and to discover alternative opportunities to employ their talents in settings other than customary marketplaces • to help students to find out who they are and to discover their own voices, respect their own individuality, and improve their self-esteem and self-confidence

• to offer specialized graduate programs which combine a strong conceptual emphasis with practical professional education, preparing students with mature interests to be both competent artists and successful professionals.

[C]Spaces

Information about

[C]Spaces Mission [C]Spaces is the student centers and galleries of Columbia College Chicago. An extension of the studios and classrooms, [C]Spaces fosters vibrant environments for students to interact, exchange ideas and view and showcase bodies of work within the larger urban community. The spaces provide students from every discipline myriad opportunities to gain essential, hands-on experience, stimulating artistic expression and professional development through collaboration.

[C]Spaces incorporates the College’s curriculum by partnering with academic departments, Student Affairs and professional artists, merging formal pedagogy with each student’s individual learning path. In our commitment to produce the most innovative, distinguished and accessible exhibitions, [C]Spaces addresses contemporary issues concerning the diversity of thought, values and culture.

[C]Spaces includes: Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104 S Wabash Ave Conaway Center, 1104 S Wabash Ave The Hokin Gallery and Hokin Annex Gallery, 623 S Wabash Ave C33 Gallery, 33 E Congress Blvd For more information VISIT: COLUM.EDU/DEPS All writing in this catalogue by Neysa Page-Lieberman Design and Layout by Ronda Dibbern

Poverty and Privilege

About Critical Encounters

Beginning as an idea and initiative of the Provost’s Office, Critical Encounters is a project that intends to be a model for interactive, community-inclusive civic engagement that exploits and explores the relationship between art and social science, artistic action and revolution.

In the 2007-08 academic year, Columbia College Chicago has chosen Poverty & Privilege as its Critical Encounters theme. We will develop programming and curricular activities to move our campus and our community to challenge simplistic ideas of poverty and privilege. We will initiate conversations about the tangible and intangible implications and ramifications of generally accepted concepts. We will engage our community in discussions around ideas of personal and political access to health care, education, employment, housing, and entrepreneurship; and how poverty and privilege affect our sense of identity, spirituality, artistry, culture, and choice. We will immerse our students, faculty, staff, and community in programs, classes, performances, and exhibits to encourage dialogue and thoughtful reflection on critical issues that affect us as individuals and as citizens of the world. Perhaps in doing so, we will also inspire a shift in mindsets and attitudes from apathy to activism.