“Living with Mysticism- the Power of Visual Vodou”

Curated by Mindy Solomon, owner of the Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami

Exhibition Dates: January 16 – February 21, 2015

Opening Reception: Friday, January 16^th  5:30 – 8:30pm

Curator’s Talk: Friday, January 16th at 4pm      Free and open to the public

The purpose of ritual is to change the mind of the human being. It’s sacred drama in which you are the audience as well as the participant and the purpose of it is to activate parts of the mind that are not activated by everyday activity. . . As for why ritual, I think that human beings have a need for art and art is ritual. I think that when we became sapient, we became capable of artistic expression. – Sharon Devlin

The Florida Craft Art gallery under the curatorial guidance of Mindy Solomon, MA , is proud to host a group exhibition of Haitian artists, featuring an overview of some of the finest examples of Vodou Flags, utilizing Sequence and expert beadwork, as well as found object sculpture by Haitian Artist Guyodo. The flags exemplify the use of fine craft as an application in ritual art making that have now become a viable visual art form for commercial purposes. The sculptural works of Guyodo, showcase the inventiveness and resourcefulness of an artist who gathers found objects to fashion whimsical as well as grotesque  figurative statues. Each body of works speaks to the influences of the African diaspora tradition, as well as Catholicism and the practice of Vodou in a contemporary platform.

Artwork in this exhibition is courtesy of El-Saieh Gallery, Port au Prince, Haiti and Maggie Steber.