PENUMBRA WORKSPACE PROGRAM | NYC | 2021
Daveed Baptiste
The super inventive staged portraits by David Baptiste were thrilling to behold. The mashup between Haitian and African American culture - church, rap music, disposable material culture, portraits of JFK, Malcolm and Jesus adorning walls, and the delirious array of textiles printed with his own patterns - all very promising for the expansion of this project with Penumbra's large plotters and studio space.
–Pradeep Dalal (Artist, Educator, Member of the 2021 Jury).
Image © Daveed Baptiste. Courtesy of the artist.
“[… ] Haiti To Hood examines the social dynamics within Haitian-American identity. Through collecting, rearranging, and recreating material elements that construct the visual aesthetics of Haitian livelihood, I construct sets of intimate living spaces, positioning both Black and Haitian-Americans in re-imagined realities. I source my inspiration from my upbringing in America, my immigration to this land, and the resilience and innovation of the Haitian American communities that I grew up in. [ …]”
Daveed Baptiste is a multidisciplinary maker working in fashion design, photography, and textiles. His migration from Haiti to America inspires all of his work. As an immigrant and queer person, his work examines the multidimensional identities of the Caribbean diaspora living in the United States. Through collaborative projects and various mediums, his work aims to decolonize notions of race, gender, and class within the Haitian community and greater Caribbean diaspora.
He is a recent Parsons graduate with a BFA in Fashion Design. His photographs have been published in The New Yorker and VOGUE, and he has exhibited at Red Hook Labs and Aperture. He is a 2020 Lakou NOU Resident at the Haiti Cultural Exchange.
