Review: Liberty and Resilience in Haitian Art

A Haitian art exhibit in Washington, D.C., reminds us there is much more to the country than false allegations about eating cats.

Just days after false allegations about Haitian immigrants eating cats in Ohio unexpectedly dominated the headlines in the presidential election, a new exhibit opened at the National Gallery of Art. The bright posters that appeared on D.C. bus stops felt like a timely, pointed rebuttal to the political discourse, though the exhibition had been in the works for over a year following a gift from a private collection.

Spirit & Strength: Modern Art from Haiti highlights liberty and resilience, often in the face of political and economic disaster. Rigaud Benoit's 1965 Marketplace captures Haiti's vibrant commercial life, while Lois Mailou Jones' The Green Door presents a vision of spontaneous order, where community work is accomplished through cooperation. These paintings, along with two dozen others, remind us there is more to Haiti—and Haitians everywhere—than the headlines.

Comments

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

They weren't false you cunt. There is video evidence. And no hatti has never contributed anything to society. Look at the Dominicans. They know you don't want hatians in your country.

I'm willing to bet all of the art dates back to before the black hatians killed all of the whites

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

My bad, the artical says 20th century. Kmw you should move to hatti

[sarcasmic]

They weren't false. Trump said so, and that makes it true.

[EISTAU Gree-Vance]

Hey man, what’s up? Hardly ever see you around here anymore. Lol.

[Don't look at me!]

He’s been busy formulating new ideas™ .

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Haiti is a hellhole. Just recently a couple hundred elderly people were hacked to death because a gang lord thought they were utilizing witchcraft to make his son ill. Cool that some Haitians have produced artwork, but it has embraced a culture of death. It is a failed state with a failed culture and by every indication will only get worse. Whether they produce art or eat cats is beside the point.

[Kungpowderfinger]

A Haitian art exhibit in Washington, D.C., reminds us there is much more to the country than false allegations about eating cats.

You’re certainly right about that, but not in the way that you think:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html#:~:text=Country%20Summary%3A%20Since%20March%202024,have%20been%20hurt%20or%20killed.

[AT]

"Your son killed 15 people, raped their corpses, mailed severed body parts to their families, and ate the rest."

"But look at this (arguably) pretty picture he drew!"

This is so textbook Clown World. Never mind the litany of horrors and atrocities of a culture, instead myopically focus on this one and ONLY one thing that's kinda sorta positive.

https://nypost.com/2023/01/20/couple-pimped-their-adopted-sons-out-to-pedophile-ring-report/

But they were fabulous interior decorators!

[Flaco]

I clicked the link. The art is not very good.

[Public Entelectual]

But most of it beats Jean Michel Basquiat cold.

[Public Entelectual]

Future generations may praise L’Aesthete Hindu as a work rivaling the finest cat paintings of George Bush:

https://vvattsupwiththat.blogspot.com/2013/03/forget-bienniale.html

[Rev Arthur L kuckland (5-30-24 banana republic day)]

Nobody gives a crap about your fake website

[Public Entelectual]

Arthur ! Arthur !

[AT]

There is no way I'm eating the hors d'oeuvres there.

[Vesicant]

Are all the pages blank? You know, like "The Wit and Wisdom of Hillary Clinton"?

[Incunabulum]

Yes, there is.

And from the picture is bad art about Michael Jackson with eye parasites wearing a turban. And eating people.

That is, Haitians eating people, not Michael Jackson. I don't know if he ate anyone.