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Read about the exhibit:San Diego Museum of Man. |
VOODOO: SPIRITS IN HAITIAN ART (1)San Diego
Museum of Man "This new Voodoo exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man in Balboa Park consists of more than one hundred objects by 50 artists dating from 1947 through 2001--paintings, beaded flags (drapo), Voodoo paraphernalia, and sculptures fashioned from steel oil drums or wood. " -- exhibit announcement Review by Ysamur M. Flores-Peña Ph.D., Folklorist
The Vodou exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Man features an interesting sampling of the private collection of Dr. Robert C. Brictson(2), an avid collector and admirer of Haitian art. Not new to the museum scene nor to Haiti where he has maintained a home for almost thirty years, Dr. Brictson has already presented portions of his collection in several exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. The plan of the installation is well thought out, keeping in mind the public's preconceived and often uninformed perceptions of Vodou. To enter the exhibit, visitors pass through a replica of a Haitian house with battered wooden walls and a tin roof. Once inside they find an exhibition of both sacred art and other works that are directly or indirectly inspired by Vodou. The show educates about how this artistic production reflects the ethos of the artists, the Haitian people. The exhibit makes no apologies for the culture; rather it makes the viewer confront clichés that pop culture has created since it discovered "Vodou." As confrontational as the use of the word "Voodoo" is, Dr. Brictson argues that any one spelling of the word is as good as another. Eventually, an understanding of the reality of Haitian beliefs and aesthetics will eliminate the use of the much-maligned spelling "Voodoo." The exhibit first attempts to address this issue when museum visitors enter the traditional Haitian house, where text panels provide a quick education in the history, theology and politics of Haiti. This academic and theological information area familiarizes the viewer with one of the most misunderstood religious cultures of the African Diaspora. However, beyond the house the artifacts of the exhibit itself force visitors to confront the meaning of the term "Voodoo" and their preconceptions of it, which are often negative and stereotypic. The vibrancy of colors and images are a feast to the senses. Most important, it does not feel foreign or exotic, rather an intimate feeling one gets when allowed into the privacy of someone's home. The icons, both religious and secular, coexist without overwhelming each other. The public is introduced to the history and faith of Haiti in a rather unassuming manner. What follows is a varied sample of ritual and secular works in which Haitian artists combine the strength of their beliefs with a dynamic sense of beauty and with a political agenda. There are metal sculptures, paintings, wood sculptures and the magnificent ritual flags. Viewers accustomed to separating the secular from the divine and the sacred space from the political arena must brace themselves for a revelation. In Haiti, as in other locales of the African Diaspora, the divine and the secular areas influence each other, and artists are at the same time activists and worshipers. Heaven and the physical world are entangled in constant communication mediated by the visions of the creators and the people. Important to note, the exhibition is not at all concerned with justifying the way in which Haitian artists combine sacred Catholic imagery with African motifs. Nor does it discuss the ideas of creolization and adaptation. This installation presents old masters with new ones and how they address their topics using Vodou as both inspiration and explanation. The works featured are at home in both the temple and the public arena, just as Vodou is. This show challenges the viewer not to define the art and culture, but to come to terms with the truths art and culture reveal. The forcefulness of such a statement is not an apology but a provocation to engage this art on its own terms. One comes out of this show with a sense of Vodou's vitality as a religion and as a social commentary. Old and new works are mixed through the show, and the viewer can witness the evolution of topics and motifs in the hands of several generations of artists. The show is like Vodou itself, a whirlwind of ideas and concepts speaking from the icons of African deities dressed like Catholic Saints with creole names and powers. Folk characters are also reinterpreted to fit into this intimate cosmos. However, as in any diaspora tradition, if you move to the center of the issues, you will find that the contradictions are resolved at the altar where Africa and the world transform into the brilliance of Vodou. The show runs from May 2001 to February 2002 at the San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. Highly recommended.
(1) The author wishes to thank Dr.Brictson for taking from his busy schedule to give me a guided tour of the show.
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