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Frantz Zéphirin: Selected Works

Fri, April 29th, 2022
12:00 am
- Sun, December 4th, 2022
11:59 pm

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This selection of ten paintings by Haitian-born artist Frantz Zéphirin (b. 1968, Cap Haïtien), offers a window into the deeply mystical and spiritual nature of Haiti (Ayiti), the land of many mountains. The artist’s delicate, detailed vignettes give viewers the opportunity to wander, for a brief moment, among the loa (Haitian Vodou spirits).

Zéphirin’s paintings document scenes of Haitian spiritual life both materially and metaphysically, a pictorial practice that has a long tradition in Haitian art. He takes that tradition a step further, transforming the spirits into animals. As Zéphirin explains, “Look closely, in every person there is an animal; a monkey, an elephant, a crocodile, a giraffe… I see them in a gesture, an attitude, a character trait, and immediately fix them on the canvas.”

This exhibition was organized by guest curator and artist Tomm El-Saieh (b. 1984, Port-au-Prince, Haiti; lives and works in Miami) in conjunction with the exhibition of his paintings, Tomm El-Saieh: Imaginary City on view at the Clark Art Institute through December 31, along with WCMA Mellon Curatorial Fellows, Jordan Horton, MA ‘23 and Destinee Filmore, MA ‘24.

The Williams College Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is always free!

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