Haiti - Culture : The street painting redesigns public spaces
There is in Haiti a pictorial tradition and popular and unique contemporary iconography. It is illustrated in the streets, through the hand-painted advertisements, on the tap-tap and buses adorned with religious imagery, political or cultural. These popular expressions have their roots in voodoo iconography as in the internationally acclaimed currents of Haitian painting. They constitute the essence of a typical urban visual culture, yet little recognized institutionally.
It is in this context that the French Institute in Haiti has created the project "Street art, redesign redesign common areas". A project launched in late May, deployed on several axes which hosted in residence, the French artist Bault to work for two weeks on collaborative murals, alongside Haitian artists.
Of this project arose several murals; the first, monumental, extends to the circumference of the French Institute and challenges the curiosity of everyone. Hybrid animals of Bault overlap in the geometric shapes of the Haitian painter Joseph Eddy Pierre, aka "1 + 1 = 0", on a range of high solids colors. The Art Center has also been revamped by hosting two works by Bault, one in collaboration with artist Pascale Monnin, representing an imaginary crocodile overlapped by two children.
The residence of the French painter has also allowed the organization of workshops with the National School of Arts (ENARTS), the School of Art of Port-au-Prince and with the public of the Institute, strengthening exchanges and artistic cooperation between France and Haiti.
This whole initiative places the street painting in its ole, to invest the town into a common area and give back to art, a social dimension by keeping it within reach of all.
