I was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti, three years after Jean Claude Duvalier had proclaimed himself president for life. Haiti became almost completely isolated. I was too young to pick up the sense of tension, fear, and unrest, described by many during that era. Ironically, the absence of those details is the essence of my curiosity with Haiti’s history.

The Year was 1974 and my family and I joined the mass exodus of Haitians that fled to America in search of a better life. My mother described it as one the most emotional times of her life; filled with both great sadness, excitement, and optimism for the future. While assimilating to our new home country, my parents, particularly my mother made sure that we preserved the essence of our culture within our home environment.

My father on the other hand was heavily into Haitian politics. I remember in the early 80’s the many loud and heated political debates that took place between my farther, my uncles, and Pops friends from back home; sometimes lasting for hours. To me, these debates were frustrating and fascinating at the same time. Everybody had a different perspective of how Haiti should be ran and what was wrong with the county. This complexity of perspectives was instrumental in my interest in deconstructing Haiti’s history and culture in pictorial narratives.

The relevance of my art is mainly social; the subject matter is diverse, raising questions about the struggle for existence, the belief in something greater than oneself, the innocence of absolute youth, the layers of sexuality, the convergence of interactivity and the experience of art.

In the summer of 2000, I began to involve sociopolitical subject matters into my artwork seemingly connecting full circle to these fascinating political debates I witnessed as a child. No longer was I creating arbitrary imagery. I began exploring in a series of oil paintings the concepts of the fragility of innocence, the notion of perceived freedoms and the legacy of a revolutionary based culture within the context of Haiti’s humanitarian and political backdrop. This transformation into social and political artistic expressions became a prominent topic in much of my artwork and it continues today.

I’m also interested in subject matters that draw out various perspectives of its viewers; somewhat ambiguous in nature. I’m interested in creating dynamic, interactive, and organic forms, combining them with function, allowing the viewer to extend their visual experience; playing with the idea that the perception and function of art is a derivative of the original idea which initially inspired the artist.

Although my past works have been primarily oil on canvas; I do not have a preferred medium. I’m interested in working with everything from digital media to large scale organic materials, to synthetic objects. Because I’m constantly exploring alternative methods and techniques of expressing my ideas visually, I’m not limited to use of universal identifying trademarks. I approach the use of materials and methods with an open mind. To me, a bucket of nails is as intriguing and inspiring as a pencil and piece of paper. Both can be molded, assembled and used for the sole purpose of expression. Whatever I see that sparks inspiration and helps drive home my vision, I use. I believe materials give art its physical structure, form and function. It’s an essential component in the value chain of my creative process.

My creative process usually starts with research following conceptualization. It’s a vision or an idea that haunts me for weeks, sometimes months. For me, research preserves authenticity when trying to communicate an idea. In creating the “Innocence” and “Revolution” series, I read countless news and historical articles about the atrocities facing the people of Haiti, particularly the children (who alarmingly, represent its future) and the revolutionary culture that continues to define Haiti. In the “Innocence” series my research helped me capture the authenticity of innocence through the faces of little Haitian girls. In the “Revolution” series my research goal was to capture the emotional tipping-point of revolution through the facial expressions of a group of revolutionist. Serenity and simplicity are my primary objectives.