Published by Hatje Cantz. Edited with text by Gaëtane Verna. Text by Amin Alsaden, Osei Bonsu, Edwidge Danticat, Joana Joachim, Sylvie Lacerte, Manuel Mathieu.
This volume elucidates the paintings of Haitian Canadian artist Manuel Mathieu (born 1986), which oscillate between figuration and abstraction in their excavations of history. The first comprehensive publication on the artist’s work, it focuses on how Haiti has informed the substantial oeuvre that Mathieu has produced over the past few years. Positioned at the fault lines of modern political and environmental crises, Haiti epitomizes a global longing for freedom and grassroots resistance to imperialist and capitalist exploits. Mathieu also became interested in the Duvalier dictatorships (his maternal grandfather was a colonel in Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s brutal regime, while members of his father’s family were executed by the same government). At the center of Manuel Mathieu: World Discovered under Other Skies is an examination of the ongoing repercussions of Haiti’s pioneering revolt against slavery and its quest for self-determination.
