Special Haitian Artist at Nsu Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art
Published June thirty, 2015 at 7:10 AM EDT
Courtesy NSU Fine art Museum Fort Lauderdale
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The photographs nosotros see from Haiti ordinarily evoke misery – especially later on the country's catastrophic 2010 earthquake. Just anyone who has been to Haiti, of course, knows that's hardly the whole picture.
Which is why a new and unprecedented photo exhibit that but opened at the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is ane of this year'due south nearly important in South Florida. "From Within and Without: The History of Haitian Photography," could get a long fashion toward broadening – and brightening – our vision of Haiti.
Noted Haitian-American artist Edouard Duval-Carriéguest-curated the show, and I sabbatum downward with him to talk about its potential impact.
Credit Courtesy NSU Fine art Museum Fort Lauderdale
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Excerpts:
Yous're a celebrated painter. And then how did you get then involved in promoting photography? What was the genesis of all this?
I was born in Haiti and left nether the Duvalier regime because of the situation in that location. And since then I was very, very much involved with the history of Haiti, the whole complexity of Haiti's position vis-à-vis the world. Being here I've realized also that the proximity of S Florida to the Caribbean and to Republic of haiti makes it very crucial that people realize and understand the complication of that nation.
And so photography, and so, was one of the crucial avenues into that?
Absolutely. With the advent of photography, information technology was immediately used in Haiti. And information technology was interesting to me to try to put images to that whole history. To see how nosotros run across ourselves and how we are seen from the exterior.
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This is believed to be the first historical survey of Haitian photography ever presented in a museum. And the more 300 photographs span two centuries. How difficult was information technology to find them?
Information technology was quite complicated. Archives in Haiti are very scant. But we've managed to become deeply into – especially into the 19th century, with a particular collection that has been clustered in Canada by a Haitian national.
[But] the prove encompasses much more than the xixth century. I mean, it goes into the [1915-34] U.S. occupation of Haiti, which was quite of import, [more than] 15 years, and left the United states and Haiti quite traumatized.
What do you hope these photos will convey near Haiti to a public that is and then accustomed to viewing merely tragic images of the place?
It certainly will complicate the vision of Republic of haiti and volition probably humanize it. –Edouard Duval-Carrie
Well, it certainly will complicate the vision of Haiti and volition probably humanize it. For example, in the 19th century, the earliest photograph plant [was] the coronation album of our first emperor – no, our second emperor. [Laughs] Mr. Faustin Soulouque, who does not have a wonderful reputation. Simply he hired a couple of photographers to create a coronation album.
I want to point out two photos. One is a gorgeous black-and-white portrait of a woman in a turban by French-Haitian lensman Chantal Regnault. It struck me because of its soft beauty, which cameras simply don't capture plenty of in Republic of haiti.
Another is a photo of Haitians voting, by the Miami Herald's Carl Juste, who was born in Haiti. Information technology projects the political chaos we so frequently associate with Republic of haiti, merely the tone feels hopeful.
Chantal Regnault has been going to Haiti for the last xx or 30 years and has been very interested in religion, and particularly vodou. She tries to humanize the face of that religion, which has been much maligned.
Credit Courtesy NSU Fine art Museum Fort Lauderdale
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And Carl Juste, I mean, the fact that he [is] Haitian, he always tried to complicate and humanize the vision of Haitians – and their [willingness] to participate in the democratic process, which has been, you lot know, a problem since the outset of the existence of that nation.
The show'south timing also seems stiff, given the current controversy over the Dominican Republic's handling of Haitians in that country. In that regard, could this exhibit be an opportunity for art to lend a vocalism during a humanitarian crisis?
I certainly hope and so. It volition become quite an issue if it continues.
If we encounter the mass deportations, for example.
Yes, absolutely.
"From Within and Without: The History of Haitian Photography," opened June 21 and runs through October 4 at the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, 1 East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
Tim Padgett is WLRN'south Americas editor you tin read more of his coverage here.
Source: https://www.wlrn.org/culture/2015-06-30/new-fort-lauderdale-photo-show-should-broaden-and-brighten-our-view-of-haiti
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