Black artwork and African historical past proceed to function a strong duo. Historical past and religious awakening are gas for Haitian American visible and efficiency artist Watson Mere throughout his new solo exhibition, “Watson Mere: The Forces,” at EFA Studios, situated at 323 West twenty ninth Road, third flooring).
Mere’s new presentation, displaying 4 work, derived from his religious awakening concerning Haitian Vodou and Americana. The artist developed his imaginative and prescient for the brand new exhibition from his current residency at Haiti Cultural Trade. “I’ve been engaged on these items since November 2024 — I’ve been using the A prepare at three, 4 within the morning, getting from this studio [in Manhattan] to Mattress-Stuy, seeing totally different energies on the prepare,” stated Mere. “It doesn’t matter what I noticed, I’m completely happy attending to this place.”
Throughout the exhibition opening reception, Mere thanked the Haiti Cultural Trade for giving him the information to interpret his heritage. “A heritage that I didn’t know something about.” Mere passionately defined to his over 300 guests how his Haitian and West African background was at all times current in his dwelling, though he didn’t study its deep roots till maturity. “Plenty of issues that I’ve realized from the Haiti Cultural Trade have been implanted into these items.”
Brenika Banks photographs
“Watson Mere: The Forces” consists of 4 items that includes comparable backgrounds containing acrylic paint combined with sugar, forming a thick textured floor. This floor is supposed to be interpreted as manipulated patterns that resemble flames, rising warmth, and hearth. The sugar used within the work is critical as a result of about 50% of the USA’ supply of sugar comes from sugarcane fields in his hometown Belle Glade, Florida. “To ensure that them to reap the sugarcane fields, they should set the fields on hearth,” Mere advised the AmNews. His childhood recollections of seeing the smoke from the cane fields, in addition to his dad and mom working within the cane fields, ignited his inspiration for this exhibition. These items resonate strongly together with his private {and professional} historical past.
Past the flames, all 4 work embody totally different variations of portals for the viewer to decode. The principle portray “Lafimen (Smoke)”, together with “La Perle des Antilles” and “Oracle” all have centered black figures representing apparent portals. Mere’s fourth piece, “Potomitan,” invitations the viewer to look deeper and acknowledge the portal are eyes as a substitute of a black determine. “The fireplace inside this piece [‘Potomitan’] works as a liminal house, considerably of a portal the place you gauge into a special dimension,” stated Mere. He additional defined that the pillar picture, “Poto Mitan,” is a sacred Vodou pole epitomizing earth, heaven and ancestors.
Mere continued, “The pillar is tied with totally different colours of scarves the place, usually, there’s a yellow scarf as properly, however you don’t see it current.” He defined deliberately giving his viewers a perceptive look throughout the Vodou ceremony, into the piercing eyes of the portray. “As you’re seeing these totally different eyes, you’re the yellow scarf wanting throughout the ceremony.”
“You must see in actual life for the main points – the photographs don’t do it justice,” stated Amarachi Ede, an attendee on the opening reception. The identical “Poto Mitan” Vodou pole is seen within the background of his important portray, “Lafimen (Smoke).” This portray and “Potomitan” are intentionally positioned throughout from one another within the exhibition.
Mere believed delving into his heritage would encourage studying extra about Haitian spirituality. “I knew as an artist, it was not solely one thing that I ought to dive into, however my obligation as a Haitian artist to talk in the direction of this spirituality that has an enormous historical past past slavery – a historical past that is still throughout the Arawak Taíno individuals, a historical past that goes into West Africa, a historical past that goes even past West Africa.”
“Watson Mere: The Forces” is rooted in ancestry, religious consciousness and symbolism. “As an artist, it’s my obligation to take the baton and proceed the story,” stated Mere.
For more information, go to studios-efanyc.org/watson-mere.
