Juan David Latorre
The Embassy of Haiti, the Museo de América and the Galería de Arte Kare’l inaugurated last Thursday at the Museum’s premises the exhibition Haiti: Africa in the Caribbean. From Naïf to Vodou art, which will be on display until 22 September.
Haitian naïf art is very expressive, with vivid colours that denote spontaneity, representing imaginary bucolic paradises where man lives in harmony with nature. These artists convey in their paintings their passion for life through the use of strong colours, especially violet, blue, yellow and red.
On the other hand, Haitian voodoo, the catalyst for Haiti’s independence, is a religion and a set of cultural traditions that constitute the foundation that unites this people in times of crisis and saves them from despair. Vodou, more than a religion, is a system, a global way of seeing, living and understanding life.
In his welcoming address, the Haitian Ambassador, Guy Lamothe, pointed out that “today at the Museum of America we are witnessing the entrance of the nation through which everything happened in America, the nation that dared to create freedom in Latin America and the Caribbean. Haitian art, voodoo art, the art of the alley painters meet in Spain and its society. Tonight begins a new adventure, that of Haitian art, that of Africa in diaspora in the Museum of America”.
“This exhibition, the ambassador said, invites several interpretations of Haiti: religion, society and economy. In particular, its art, or rather a presentation of Haiti through art. Haitian naïf art is a world of original, innovative and sometimes complex creations. Visitors will soon discover this as they stroll through the heart of this museum. I am one of those who believe that culture is the fabric on which it is possible to weave the ties that will sustain my country, Haiti, in the future. Because, let us not forget, culture defines who we are”.
The presentation ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of Panama and Greece, along with representatives of the Cuban and Beninese delegations.
