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Lakou NOU 2020 Artists Culminating Event
“The Lakou NOU residency has been a constant lesson in how to create with an open heart.” – Daveed Baptiste 2020-2021 Lakou NOU Artist...
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Steven Baboun is an artist and photographer from Port-au-Prince, Haiti and based in New York City. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Arts and a minor in Education Studies at American University in Washington, DC. He’s currently an MFA Photography student at Parsons School of Design with an anticipation degree completion date of August 2020. Baboun creates through photography, installation, video, and performance art. His work explores diverse social issues within the Haitian community such as queerness, race and social class, politics, religion (namely Vodou and Catholicism), and multi-cultural identities. Baboun presents to the world the complexities of Haitian society and how Haiti is an incubator for innovation, creativity, and storytelling. His works have traveled to Haiti, New York City, Los Angeles, China, Miami, and South Korea.
Find out more about Steven’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Website
Daniel “Dadi” Beaubrun is a composer, songwriter, producer, engineer and musician. His unique musical style blends traditional Haitian Vodou rhythms with rock, pop and blues which is known as Racine(roots) music. This distinct Racinesound is evident in the three albums written and co-produced by Daniel Beaubrunfor Boukman Eksperyans: “Vodou Adjae,”1992 Grammy Awards nominee for “World Music Album of the year”“Kalfou Danjere,” and “Libète Pran Pou Pran l” Daniel has performed and collaborated with recognized artists. Today, Dadi is producing a number of talented young upcoming artists under his label Dadisound Productions while finishing his upcoming new album.
Find out more about Dadi’s work by following his
channels: Instagram | Facebook | SoundCloud
Fritz Bernardin is a Haitian musician, composer and educator. Stage-named Benviola, Fritz is recently featured in the award-winning documentary, Serenade for Haiti, and is currently completing his first album which blends historic Haitian rhythms, classical influences, and contemporary sounds to reflect the diversity of Haiti’s musical culture and identity. He is also a tenor section leader for the Canterbury Choral Society in NYC.
Find out more about Fritz’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Facebook
Sabine Blaizin‘s work focuses on the exposure and pleasures of African diasporic music. Brooklyn Mecca, Cumbancha, and Oyasound are a few of her creative projects. Over the years, DJ Sabine’s mainstay and cultivation has been the monthly event Brooklyn Mecca which has been coined the home of “Grassroots Dance Culture”. Sabine worked for Ocha Records label as a Brand Marketing Director/Producer and Bembe NYC Party resident DJ. She was also the resident DJ for Subrosa’s signature monthly party Cumbancha featuring African inspired rhythms of House, Soul, Latin music and more. In 2018 Sabine was a resident DJ for Fania Records’ Fania Collective. Today, she curates a party at Le Bain NYC called Rekolte: A Night of Haitian Roots & House. She is also a resident DJ for House of Yes NYC and Onda Mundial Mexico.
Find out more about DJ Sabine’s work by following her channels: Instagram | Website
Andre Eugène was born in downtown Port-au-Prince in 1959. He is a leading figure in the artists’ collective known as Atis Rezistans and a broader movement known as the Sculptors of Grand Rue. Eugène fused the fetish effigy with an apocalyptic MTV futuristic vision. Much of his work is figurative using human skulls for heads and imbued with a bold sense of irony, sexuality and humour. In 2006 Andre Eugène contributed to a large-scale collective sculptural work, which is a permanent exhibit at the International Museum of Slavery in Liverpool. His work has been shown at the Muesum of Ethnography, Geneva; at the Parc de la Villette, Paris; the Fowler Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles; Nottingham Contemporary, UK and at the Grand Palais, Paris.
Find out more about Andre’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Facebook
Okai Fleurimont is a vocalist/percussionist who embodies all the music of the African Diaspora. Brooklyn born with Haitian descent, Okai’s cultural background shaped him into being the full round artist he is today. He is Currently the lead singer and percussionist of Brown Rice Family who won “The Battle of the Boroughs” in NYC in 2012. Okai is also co-founder of Strings N Skins who are currently finishing an album to be released in the fall. He is an active percussionist in New York always sharing his voice and energetic rhythms. Okai has had the pleasure of performing before audiences at Brooklyn Museum, the legendary African art auction exhibition at Sotheby’s, Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and venues throughout the States.
Find out more about Okai’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Website
Rejin Leys is a mixed media artist and paper maker based in New York, whose work has been exhibited at such venues as Centro Cultural de España, Santo Domingo, DR; Kentler International Drawing Space, NY; Queens Museum, NY; and Les Ateliers J.R. Jerome, PaP, Haiti. Her work is in the collections of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Yale University, and Rutgers University Caribbean Studies Department, and she is a recipient of a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts.
Find out more about Rejin’s work by following her channels: Instagram | Facebook | Website
Richard Louissaint is a first-generation Haitian-American filmmaker and photographer from New York City. Growing up in Queens, he was exposed to a wide spectrum of the Caribbean diaspora but was primarily influenced by Haitian and African-American culture. His work centers on people of color, especially those of Haitian descent, through portraiture, film and documentaries. His work has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba, and most recently at the Wyckoff House Museum. His films have screened at the Haiti Film Fest, New York Short Film Festival, and Newark International Film Festival. Richard also holds a MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College.
View Richard’s work here. Find out more about Richard’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Website
With a mission to grow, and a lover of love, Coralie Noisette is a self-taught artist of Haitian descent, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. In 2013, she decided to buy a one-way ticket to Haiti for a new chapter in her life that allowed her to connect with her Haitian roots. Since then, Haiti has enabled Coralie to further tap into her creative spirit though its rich culture, natural beauty, and mystic energy. As an artist and poet, she seeks to understand the connection between the spiritual and physical realms, with an underlying theme of self-exploration. Her painting style is inspired by optic art and color therapy, playing with the viewer’s vision and illustrating the intricate layers of what one would deem as “reality”. The original short poetic proses that Coralie writes, and which often accompany her artworks, are driven by her quest to make sense of some of life’s impenetrable questions. Through self-examination and confronting our shadows, we gain better awareness of who we are and our place in the world. Through her art, Coralie hopes to awaken the viewers’ eyes, minds and spirits to the infinite possibilities of the universe.
Find out more about Coralie’s work by following her channels: Instagram | Facebook
Joanne Petit-Frère addresses the human body as a site of beauty and adornment. Drawing on various African Diaspora traditions, Old American Western movies, the photographs of Cindy Sherman, the history of Haiti, and a range of other sources, Petit-Frère makes films, drawings and labor-intensive tapestries and sculptures that involve weaving by hand sometimes with eight or more colors of synthetic hair. Many of Joanne Petit-Frère’s wall-works and sculpture are activated by performance. Petit-Frère enlists performance as a means by which to think about our bodies and those of the people around us. At a moment in which human touch and presence in society is increasingly charged, Petit-Frère’s artwork reveals human beauty and form, the power of identity, and the shifting currents of social dialogue.
Find out more about Joanne’s work by following her channels: Instagram | Facebook
Jeff Pierre was born and raised in Port-au-Prince Haiti, grew up in his mother’s traditional Haitian and dance company JAKA where he fell in love with the drums. He now travels the world sharing the beauty of Haitian culture.
When he plays music he feels more connected with the universe. It was this connection and curiosity that pushed him to explore and pursue the world of electronic music. Jeff’s goal is to elevate each other by creating beautiful and loving music to make the world a happier place to celebrate life.
Find out more about Jeff’s work by following his channels: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Darnelle Champagne and Wynnie Lamour are educators based in Brooklyn, New York who share the love of creative storytelling and connecting children and their families to Haitian culture through their heritage language of Kreyòl Ayisyen. As co-founders of the Haitian Creole Language Immersion Program for children known as Jaden Timoun, Darnelle and Wynnie have created a space where families can have concrete hands on experience in song, movement, art and other activities. Their Krik?Krak! storytelling coupled with vivid colorful imagery bring original stories to life, while visually and physically engaging their audience. Darnelle and Wynnie have hosted several storytelling events including ones at the Wyckoff House Museum in Brooklyn, New York.
Find out more about Jaden Timoun by following these channels: Instagram | Facebook
Glenda Lezeau was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011 after having a mental breakdown that led to her hospitalization. Since then, she has felt it deep in her heart to share her story with hopes of empowering and educating others. With that in mind, she became a mental wellness advocate and started Rising from Bipolar. Rising from Bipolar is a platform featuring inspiring messages about mental health based on Glenda’s personal journey.
Glenda is a proud Haitian-American who loves konpa dancing. She is a musician and a Haitian Creole Language Educator.
Find out more about Glenda’s work by following her channels: Instagram | Website
Pierre-Richard Raphael (Pyelila) is a young Haitian visual artist, specializing in Illustration, Photography and Graphic Design. Since his childhood, he had deep interests in Haitian folklore and fantasy. Which has always shaped his art into a tool used to tell every beautiful story Haiti has to tell. After his Art studies at Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS) in Port-au-Prince, he embarked on a freelance career in visual art. This, has given him a form of freedom that he uses to delve into the illustration of many aspects of the Haitian heritage that need a voice.
Find out more about Pyelila by following his channels: Instagram | Facebook
Youry Vixamar is passionate about music. Born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he began piano lessons at the age of 10. At 15 years old he learned to play the trumpet. In 2000 he began his musical studies at Haiti’s National school of Arts (ENARTS) he started drumming (tanbou) with the famous singer, composer and drummer Sanba Zao. His career began in 2002 with Sanba Zao in Djakata band. In 2003, he played in the choir of St. Jude (Meyotte), Brothers Posse, Fabienne Denis Ayizan and Tru Rasta . In 2007 he joined Paul Beaubrun’s band, Zing Eksperyans. Starting in 2011, he began a solo career in collaboration with DJs such as Gardy Girault, DJ Stuba, DZgot, Jeff Afrozila, Boddhi Satva, Dead Fresh Nunas onstage and more.
Find out more about Youry by following his channels: Instagram | YouTube
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