ghetto art biennale in haiti

detail andré eugene’s papa legba sculpture on boulevard jean jacques dessalines photo by richard fleming image courtesy of the miami herald

jean herard celeur, andre eugene and guyodo (along with several other younger artists) are at the core of the movement, ‘grand rue sculptors’, a community of artists living from a downtown neighbourhood of haiti’s capital, port-au-prince. the newest art community to have emerged within the last ten years, they have produced art which reflects a heightened, gibsonesque, lo-sci-fi, dystopian view of their society, culture and religion, bringing haitian art into the 21st century, opening up new avenues for the vodou-inspired arts of the country. their sculptural collages of engine parts, medical debris and electronics, TV sets, skulls, bed frames, scrap metal and discarded lumber, turning the detritus of a failing economy into post-apocalyptic totems lining the streets.

a month before the earthquake devastated the area, the ‘sculptors of grand rue’ hosted the world’s first ghetto biennale, inviting international artists and scholars to the grand rue area of port-au-prince, to make and witness creative happenings within the downtown neighborhood. lasting over a period of three weeks, it was a celebration of the creative imagination of the haitian people.

dazed digital has an article the ‘haiti ghetto biennale’, written by participating artist tracey morberly. read more here.

agede sculpture on the road image courtesy of the miami herald