Foreign Black Bodies
Pascal Lafontant
October 29-December 1
Opening Celebration: November 4, 2-4 PM, Central Library Art Gallery
About the Artist
Pascal’s paintings explore Afro-Caribbean-Haitian mythologies, geopolitics and identities, the presence and meaning of Black Foreign Bodies in the United states. They address questions of migrations, exodus, arrivals, and belonging. His work brings forward the disquiet and tension engendered by the presence of Black southern-hemispheric bodies in northern-hemispheric spaces. His narratives conjure the Afro-Caribbean water deity Simbi, La Sirene/Lasiren (Haiti), or Mami Wata (East and West Africa), embodied as a Black mermaid, reimagined as guide and protector. He invites viewers to reflect on the humanity of migrants, and to ponder the potential effects of climate change on migratory patterns.
Pascal grew up in Miragoane and Port-au Prince, Haiti. He has lived in the Northeast, Southwest, and U.S. Midwest for over three decades. He is a professor of Biology at Grinnell College.
Contact
Email: pilaf2025@gmail.com