"If you think about black art, all black art, whether it's Invisible Man or whether it's James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Zora Hurston, or Richard Wright, they all deal with elements of identity and trying to humanize our experience and our struggle in the world where people have been indifferent to who we are and what we are. It's basically just saying that our lives have meaning" - Cheo Hodari Coker
VIVO BLACK ARTISTS
Style: Traditional Naive & Primitive
Birthplace: Puerto Príncipe, Haití
Inspiration: Nature and everyday life experiences are where most of Jocelyn's paintings come from. Often times he re paints the image of the working black women, to signify the importance of their presence in this world.
Junior Leon
Style: Abstract & Impressionistic
Birthplace: Puerto Principe, Haiti
Inspiration: Most of Junior's paintings are portraits, or inspired by the culture around him. He finds passion in Religion, Freedom, and Individuality.
Motivation: Junior's motivation is based on the freedom he feels while creating. He believes there is no other time when his mind is more in control than when he is painting. “When I’m in front of my canvas, I can do whatever I want with the world. At that moment...I own it. Reality limits me, but my paintbrush does not.”
Jean Robert
Style: Fine Art, Abstract
Birthplace: Jacmel, Haiti
Inspiration: Most of Jean Robert's paintings come from visions he receives in his dreams. His perception is that his dreams contain spiritual activity that urges him to paint these Art pieces.
Motivation: Jean Robert migrated to the Dominican Republic after the Earthquake in Haiti in 2008. Ever since he's been using his art as a way to get by. Jean has managed to open an Art room in Las Terrenas and uses this as a push to continue to feed his family back in Haiti.
