Haiti: Vodou Visionaries.

Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art Chicago, Illinois March 9-May 26, 2001

The stunning "Haiti: Vodou Visionaries" presented recent contributions by contemporary Haitian artists placed in the context of Vodou's vibrant and complex cosmology. This traveling exhibition was originated and curated by Marilyn Houlberg, professor of art history and anthropology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The crowded opening night, featuring a dedication by oungans (priests) Dr. Max Beauvoir and Sauveur St. Cyr and the entertainment of Haitian drummers, showed that the arts of Haitian Vodou are as vital as ever. The unconventional flavor of the exhibition was immediately evident. Visitors were greeted by a blaze of sequined flags in the images of Legba and Marasa, the Vodou lwa (spirits) who must be honored before a proper ceremony may begin. One assemblage after another followed, either in the form of extraordinary altars or groups of sculptures arranged for dramatic impact. Featuring very little didactic material, "Vodou Visionaries" did not invite the audience to interact intellectually within the confines of a traditional museum exhibition. Rather, it offered an experiential and organic approach of sheer creative force and visual surprise, similar to the impact of a Vodou ceremony.

The organizing theme was inspired by the sevis kay ceremony, performed in an ounfo, or temple, approximately once a year. The weeklong service pays homage and reverence to all the lwa served in the temple by dedicating a day of the week to each spirit. The devotees and initiates of the ounfo are guided through each day, learning sacred rites and absorbing the Vodou cosmology. In "Vodou Visionaries" the days of the week and the respective lwa of the sevis kay were represented through flags for Legba and Marasa, followed by altars for Lasiren, Ezili Freda, Ezili Danto, Danbala, Ogou, and Gede. The exhibition's weaving path made frequent pauses in front of ritual ground drawings called veves, and invited both the audience and the lwa to meet and make exchanges at the altars.

The spiritual and educational environment was communicated and represented through inanimate, highly symbolic objects. As is common within the Vodou aesthetic, an overabundance of reflective surfaces was at play: mirrors, metals, glass, beads, lushly textured fabrics, and of course the ever dazzling sequins created visual highlights. The most frequently utilized objects were dolls, either held within clear bottles or sculpted into animated poses. Numerous heavily sequined bottles dotted the altars and platforms, while ample flags gave the effect of shimmering wallpaper. Powerful ideas of transformation and the crossroads came to life through the hands of the artists, who had removed their work from the sacred realm of ounfo or home altars for aesthetic appreciation on a secular level. Ironically, the objects found their way back into a sacred environment, taking their places on altars or underneath lwa's flags. The omnipresent stereo-generated drumming and the flickering of candles that illuminated the veves completed the feeling that the visitor had left the secular space and entered an ounfo.

Marilyn Houlberg conceived of "Haiti: Vodou Visionaries" in part as a follow-up to the groundbreaking 1995 exhibition "Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou," which she co-curated with Donald Cosentino. Unlike "Sacred Arts," which was not presented in Haiti because of its gigantic size and sweeping installations, "Vodou Visionaries" opened at Le Musee d'Art Haitien in Petionville, a major accomplishment for the exhibition. Although it was designed to be a smaller, intimate affair in order to be accommodated by the museum, the exhibit showed signs of growth and change. In Haiti, new objects were added throughout the show's tenure, and in Chicago the work of several new artists such as Veronique Leriche-Fischetti and Richard Pierre were introduced, bringing the exhibition to a size beyond initial expectations. Anticipation is building as much larger American venues are expected to participate, offering the potential for continued growth.

Ideas of metamorphosis, spontaneity, and progression were integral to the display, which complied with and exemplified the major premises of Houlberg's highly conceptual exhibition. The primary objective of "Vodou Visionaries" was to answer the question "What are Haitian Vodou artists doing right now?" The visual response showcased the work of contemporary artists and represented the most up-to-date developments and movements in the Vodou arts. Houlberg selected the artists to lead the audience in a contemporary dialogue about the religion and its creative expression, as all of the artists are active in Vodou, with many descending from mambos and oungans. It was no coincidence that the Haitian opening took place during the first weeks of the new millennium. The timing was intended to illustrate that this intensely expressive religion, whose traditions date back at least 500 years, has survived into this era through the hands of fresh, young talent with a new vision.

In "Vodou Visionaries," Houlberg suggested that we must clearly recognize the contributions of female artists of this new generation in order to accurately represent the changes in contemporary Vodou art. A recent wave of women is actively pursuing work in artistic genres traditionally associated with men. In a short article in the Intuit's publication, The Outsider (Winter 2001), Houlberg states, "Two women flag makers, [Myrlande] Constant and [Amina] Simeon, are featured in what is usually considered the domain of male artists" (p. 13). Other objects and various assemblages illustrated additional genres and media in which women's creations are playing prominent roles.

The exhibition provided a stellar chance to feature the work of five female artists from and for the Haitian art community. Historically, female Vodou artists have been omitted from the literature and from exposure in the art world. Nancy Josephson, the exhibition designer, was responsible for interpreting the distinctive messages about women's unified role in Vodou expressive culture while maintaining a gentle, noncompetitive balance with the numerous contributions of male artists and devotees. Josephson chose to symbolize and distinguish women's creative efforts through the altars of Vodou's three most prominent female lwa. The altars for Lasiren, Ezili Freda, and Ezili Danto were grouped together, one flowing into another. Although the attributes of the three lwa are extreme in nature (ranging from flirtatious seduction to violent anger to fierce protection), their essences encapsulate the complexities of the modern Haitian woman. Through the creation and positioning of the altars, women's prolific contributions simultaneously permeated and complemented the formerly male-dominated aspect of Vodou's material culture.

Although the achievements of women artists were highlighted in "Vodou Visionaries," attention and consideration were also given to the contributions of male artists. The largest and busiest altar was for Gede, the often phallically depicted lwa of death, cemeteries, and sexual resurrection. It was on this platform that the art and contributions of Pierrot Barra, who died in 1999, were honored with a prominent photograph of the artist. Houlberg's article in The Outsider addressed the art of this "master of mixed realities" at some length, reminding visitors of the great influence he has had on many younger sculptors. She added that "Visionaries" remembered "the outstanding Vodou artist and priest [by featuring] many of his remarkable and rarely seen sculptures and assemblages" (p. 13).

The exhibition highlighted Houlberg's interest in putting a face to the modern artists of Vodou. In a section of the exhibition entitled "Face to Face: Meet the Artists," photographs of each participant were chosen by the artists and neatly hung side-by-side. This installation approach was effective for two reasons. First, it sought to remedy a problem that has long plagued the discipline of African-art studies, and by extension that of the African diaspora, namely the lack of recorded authorship and individual contributions in favor of the perpetuation of cultural generalizations. Second, this allowed the artists to be presented as a unified group, "The Next Generation" of contemporary Vodou artists. This section might have been even more effective had a standardized system of object labeling been used throughout the exhibition. It is easier to "put a face to Vodou" when a viewer can use identifying labels to attach an art object to an artist, compare one sculptor's techniques with another's, or trace the characteristics and styles of a particular artist. Although characteristic descriptions of lwa and many object labels were hung by some pieces, other works remained unidentified. Conversely, labeling the 400-plus objects on display may have prevented the type of experience that Houlberg and the artists intended to communicate: a sacred ceremonial space that works within the confines of an art exhibition.

The composition of the installation of "Vodou Visionaries" was ever changing, like the happenings on Vodou altars. On three separate visits, I viewed the show in various stages of metamorphosis. Some alterations in the installation were due to the small venue: certain intended accessories such as music and lit candles were not always maintained, and the always ephemeral art form of veve could be found in various stages of completion or disappearance. Other inevitable changes were taking place on the altars. For example, a decomposing, knife-stabbed pineapple left a stain on the shiny blue satin cover of Ezili Danto's altar, and an offering of several dollars was placed over it to cover the blemish. These seemingly small details captured the essence of the exhibition. "Vodou Visionaries" realistically portrayed the constantly evolving state of Vodou's visual expression, as it is a crossroads for the natural and the supernatural, producing objects and ideas that are never finalized. Through tangible material, we saw the sustenance of Vodou, with its constant reinvention and readaptation, always with increasing energy, spontaneity, and vitality.

Audiences should expect to see Haitian artists, scholars, and community leaders at the programming of all future showings of "Haiti: Vodou Visionaries." The previously mentioned guests at the Chicago opening, joined by Clausel Rosembert, consul of Haiti in Chicago, and Le Musee d'Art Haitien director Rudolph H. Boulous, participated in a discussion panel the following day, and a hands-on art workshop was offered by Nancy Josephson a few weeks later. The continuation of forums such as these helps to ensure the critical analysis and appreciation of the evolution of the contemporary arts of Haitian Vodou.

NEYSA PAGE-LIEBERMAN completed an M.A. in art history at Indiana University. She currently lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago.