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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260212
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260330
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SUMMARY:Vizyon Atistik: JAKMÈL | The Unveiling of Kanaval
DESCRIPTION:“I think we all wear some kind of mask. There are masks that shield us from others\, but there are masks that embolden us\, and you see that in carnival. The shiest child puts on a mask and can do anything and be anybody.” \n— Edwidge Danticat\, quoted from the book “After the Dance: A Walk Through Jacmel Carnival” \n  \nOpening February 12\, 2026\, Haiti Cultural Exchange\, Vizyon Atistik is pleased to present JAKMÈL | The Unveiling of Kanaval. An exhibition exploring the historical\, artistic\, and cultural significance of Jacmel’s Carnival in Haiti. \nCurated by HCX fellow Yvena Despagne and Executive Director Régine M. Roumain\, this exhibition examines Carnival as a vital form of cultural expression and underscores the importance of its history for members of the Haitian diaspora and broader global audiences. Through visual art\, mixed media\, and cultural storytelling\, the exhibition highlights why Jacmel’s Carnival is not only a cornerstone of Haitian cultural identity\, but an essential history for the Haitian diaspora to learn\, preserve\, and pass on. \nRenowned worldwide for its elaborate papier-mâché masks\, political satire\, and community driven artistry\, JAKMÈL | The Unveiling of Kanaval is more than a celebration\, it is a living archive of survival stories\, memory\, and self-expression. Born from Haiti’s revolutionary past and shaped by generations of local artisans\, the carnival has long served as a platform for social commentary\, collective healing\, and cultural pride. \n  \nOn view from February 12 through March 29\nHaiti Cultural Exchange\n35 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn\, NY \n\nVisit the HCX Gallery to view this exhibition and join the artists & curators at activations taking place as part of this exhibition.  \nThur. February 12 | 6-9pm\nOpening Reception: Jakmèl: The Unveiling of Kanaval\nRSVP Here »  \nSat. February 28 | 3-5pm\nPapier-mâché Workshop\nRSVP Here » \n \nSat. March 7 | 4-6pm\nAn n Pale with Steven Baboun\, Charles Philippe Jean-Pierre\, and Lori Martineau\nRSVP Here » \n \nSat. March 14 | 3-5pm\nAn n Pale with Tania L. Balan-Gaubert\, Bacheler Jean-Pierre\, Christina Rateau\, and Kedler St-Hilaire (Virtual)\nRSVP Here »  \nSat. March 28 |  4-6pm\nClosing Reception: Jakmèl: The Unveiling of Kanaval\nRSVP Here » \n \n  \n—\nAbout The Exhibition \nJAKMÈL | The Unveiling of Kanaval tells the story of a people who have always used art as a language of survival and freedom. Migration\, displacement\, and generational distance have often disrupted the transmission of traditions like Carnival. This exhibition is about honoring that legacy and ensuring it remains visible\, especially for those in the diaspora who may feel disconnected from Haiti’s cultural history. \nThrough paintings\, sculptural works\, archival materials\, and contemporary interpretations\, this exhibition bridges past and present\, showing how Jacmel’s Carnival continues to influence global art\, and political expression while remaining deeply grounded in local community traditions. For the Haitian diaspora\, the exhibition emphasizes the urgency of cultural preservation and reclamation. By engaging with Jacmel’s artistic practices and historical narratives\, the exhibition encourages diasporic audiences to reconnect with their roots and recognize Carnival as a powerful symbol of identity\, and continuity of Haitian culture. \n  \n—\nFeatured Artists \nSteven Baboun | Website \nSteven Baboun is an artist\, photographer\, and creative director from Port-au-Prince\, Haiti\, based in New York City. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Arts and a minor in Education Studies from American University\, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Parsons School of Design. Baboun works in photography\, video\, performance\, textile + multimedia installation\, and design. Currently\, Baboun is the founder and creative director of Studio Baboun\, a creative house based in Brooklyn\, New York. He is the co-founder and CEO of NativRoots Collective\, a creative agency specializing in visual production and solutions across entertainment\, nonprofits\, live experiences\, and businesses. \nTania L. Balan-Gaubert | Website \nTania L. Balan-Gaubert is a conceptual artist\, cultural producer\, and writer based between  Lenapehoking (Brooklyn\, NY) and Shikaawa (Chicago\, Illinois). Her practice weaves together personal narrative\, diasporic memory\, and speculative world-building\, moving through histories of displacement and survival while honoring practices of belonging.  \nBorn to Haitian parents on the Council of the Three Fires and Miami lands of present-day Illinois\, she was raised between Chicago’s South Side and Brooklyn’s Flatlands neighborhood. These geographies continue to shape her artistic practice\, which is guided by Haitian\, African\, and Indigenous traditions. Working across mixed media\, installation\, photography\, painting\, and social practice\, she assembles found objects\, folklore\, craft\, and spirituality into hybrid forms that move between the material and immaterial. Her work creates spaces where ancestral memory intersects with contemporary experience and where imagination becomes a tool for reclamation and transformation.  \nBacheler Jean-Pierre | Website \nMiami-based artist Bacheler Jean-Pierre\, known for his love of the statement “NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED”\, diversifies self-expression through mediums of music\, art\, architecture\, and fashion. His Caribbean Afro-beat vibe invites you in for a closer look at the personal journey navigating and embracing the essence of an ambitious creative. His creations reveal an intimate rendition of one’s highest self\, initiated through strife and strength.  \nAs a survivor of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake\, Bacheler’s will to live cultivates a continuing freedom to establish uniqueness conveyed in his visionary works. Bacheler’s belief in the power of words speaks to vibrations of expansion and growth. His loyalty to being a student of creation demonstrates the voyages in humility of the shadow self thus validating art as “a reason to triumph” where consciousness evolves. \nCharles Jean-Pierre | Website \nCharles Philippe Jean-Pierre is a Haitian-American artist groomed on Chicago’s south side. Charles Philippe Jean-Pierre’s most tangible connections to his Haitian roots were the paintings and sculptures in his family’s home. He often overheard passionate debates on abuses of power and continual regression in Haiti\, but the art that hung on their walls were beautiful contradictions to his homeland’s hopeless narrative. The stark contradictions of beauty and power\, as a theme\, are ever-present as a theoretical and methodological struggle within Jean-Pierre’s overall body of work.  \nHis art and work has been featured at many institutions\, including the U.S. State Department; the U.S. Embassy in Cotonou\, Benin; the Obama White House; The Smithsonian; the Mamelodi Project; and International Monetary Fund. His work has been highlighted by numerous media outlets including: The Washington Post\, Ebony Magazine\, Black Enterprise\, NHK Japan\, The Village Voice\, BET\, NBC\, Netflix and FOX. Jean Pierre holds a Masters of Arts from Howard University and has created public art murals in South Africa\, Panama\, New York\, Chicago\, Washington\, Istanbul\, Montreal\, Port-au-Prince\, London\, and Paris. He is currently a professor at Howard University in Fine Arts. \nLori Martineau  \nLori Martineau is a writer\, aspiring mermaid and creativity junkie. Her professional background is in Education and Expressive Arts Therapy. Born and raised in the Pearl of the Caribbean\, her work revolves around a ceaseless curiosity in Haiti’s oral history and cultural traditions. Martieau’s fixation on capturing the tiny pieces of larger stories began with her first camera in her youth documenting the bustling activity of Mache Petyonvil. Martineau was exhilarated by the small moments within the mache’s buzzing activity – piles and piles of merchandise and food\, every color\, smell\, and noise imaginable\, and humans moving like foumi fou. She remains fascinated by Haitian culture bearers and her images are a collection of bearing witness to little moments within expansive Kanaval traditions. Lori can be found hopping a flight to soak in water\, managing a Haitian restaurant in New Orleans or spending quality time with her home in Haiti. \nChristina Rateau | Website \nChristina Rateau\, born in Port-au-Prince\, Haiti\, is a visual artist and photographer based in Amsterdam. With a background in Economics from Donghua University (Shanghai\, China)\, her journey spans modeling\, creative direction\, and analogue photography\, reflecting her passion for storytelling and self-expression. Her practice\, Occhio del Ciclone (“The Eye of the Storm”)\, explores identity\, memory\, and cultural heritage through conceptual\, tactile narratives. Drawing on her Haitian roots and global experiences\, Christina crafts evocative works using analogue photography\, bold colors\, and portraiture\, often featuring self-portraits to explore themes personally. \nChristina’s work has been featured in Photovogue and The New York Times and debuted her first solo exhibition in 2022 at Studio Baboun. She has also participated in group shows like Our Collective Future at Kunstlinie (Almere\, Netherlands) and many other shows in Indianapolis. Committed to preserving Haiti’s cultural heritage\, Christina aims to inspire strength and belonging in her audience while empowering the Haitian community and the Black diaspora. Her goal is to serve as a cultural archivist\, amplifying Haiti’s stories and traditions for future generations. \nKedler St-Hilaire | Website \nKedler St-Hilaire is a Haitian visual artist and graphic designer whose artistic approach lies at the crossroads of formal rigor and chromatic emotion. A graduate of the École Nationale des Arts (ENARTS)\, he has developed a singular visual language where line\, structure\, and color interact. Art is neither decorative nor passive: it is a vital necessity\, an act of affirmation and resistance against a world often marked by social and moral bleakness. He is driven by a clear mission: to bring originality\, dignity\, and meaning to places where degradation prevails. \nSt-Hilaire trained at the Centre d’Art and continues his artistic research by studying tattoo\, enriching his visual and textural vocabulary. St-Hilaire is also an accomplished graphic designer\, having collaborated with several leading institutions including CARE Haiti\, LEGS ÉDITIONS\, FOKAL\, the Pyepoudre Cultural Center\, the Festival 4 Chemins\, La Famille Joseph\, and Pascale Théard Créations. Based in Carrefour\, St-Hilaire\, stands out as a unique voice in the contemporary Haitian art scene\, building worlds that are colorful\, structured\, and profoundly human.  \n—\nWith sculpture works provided by the Tequila Minsky Private Collection
URL:https://haiticulturalx.org/event/vizyon-atistikjakmel-the-unveiling-of-kanaval/
LOCATION:Haiti Cultural Exchange\, 35 Lafayette Ave\, Brooklyn\, NY\, 11217\, United States
CATEGORIES:Vizyon Atistik
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260219
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260327
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LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T230458Z
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SUMMARY:Mizik Ayiti! Residency Winter Series | Mikaëlle Aimée
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Thursdays for the Mizik Ayiti! Residency Series. The Winter residency will be held by Haitian-American singer-songwriter Mikaëlle Aimée. \nMikaëlle Aimée is a New York–based musician who brings jazz\, folk\, soul\, and vibrant Haitian musical traditions to life through her voice and guitar. \nMikaëlle Aimée’s six week residency at HCX will feature unique performances weekly. \n—\nDates & Tickets \nGet your tickets today and don’t miss out on these incredible performances!\nPerformances will take place on Thursdays from February 19\, 2026–March 26\, 2026\, 6-9pm.  \nGet your tickets to one\, or all these performances\, here »\nTickets include a complimentary beverage.\nSpecial pop-up offerings with local Haitian restaurants.\nLimited capacity\, RSVP strongly recommended. \n—\nAbout the musician \nMikaëlle Aimée is a Haitian-American singer-songwriter based in New York. She sings and plays guitar and has become known for her dazzling performance styles ranging from Jazz\, Folk\, Soul\, and across Haitian musical genres.  \nMikaëlle Aimée first debuted on the Haitian Music scene in 2009 where she began performing regularly for the variety shows Ayiti Deploge\, and Havana Guitar Night. She also participated heavily in the Port-au-Prince Jazz music scene between 2010 and 2014.  \nAs lead singer of the jazz band Kayel\, Mikaëlle Aimée held residence at the well-known Quartier Latin in Pétion-Ville\, Haiti from 2010 to 2013.  \nShe also hosted the popular television show “Metro Night” on Haiti’s Tele Metropole station between 2012 and 2014.  \nMikaëlle’s journey took an unexpected pivot when she found herself stranded in the US\, in Summer 2014\, due to passport complications. As luck would have it\, the travel delays would be the catalyst that jumpstarted her music career here in the US.     \nShe quickly plugged into the Haitian Jazz community and eventually joined some New York-based ensembles. She would later participate in the 2018 Apollo Theater Amateur Night\, where she reached the semi-finals\, marking her first major accomplishment on US soil. \nHer musical pursuits have taken her throughout the 5 boroughs\, New Jersey\, Philadelphia\, Connecticut\, Miami and Atlanta. Her international performances include Spain\, Jamaica\, and the Dominican Republic.  \nMikaëlle Aimée released the soulful ballad “Lay me Down” in 2019 and Kreyol Funk tune\, “Adye” in 2021.  \nShe is currently in the process of completing her first EP “Hope in Disguise”\, with Queens based Producer Gurpal X\, and is also working towards the release of several tracks in Haitian Creole.  \nIn 2025\, she created “Soirée Sérénade”\, a compilation of Haitian traditional and folk music\, french chansonettes\, jazz and bossa nova. It serves as a representation of what would be popular on the radio when she was a child. The purpose of this show is to unite Haitians with a voyage through time\, a bit of nostalgia for the exiled.  \nFor more information or booking\, please contact Mikaëlle Aimée at MikaelleAimee@gmail.com or visit her on Instagram @MikaelleAimee \n—\nHCX | Mizik Ayiti! Residency \nHCX positions this invitational residency as an opportunity to innovate and workshop concepts and works-in-progress\, showcase new work\, and build networks for artists’ future presentation (e.g. booking\, touring) at other cultural institutions and stages. \nRarely do artists receive a consistent opportunity to create and share in “real time”–to develop their ideas in a beta form\, experiment\, and refine amidst presenting publicly. Over the course of 6 weeks\, resident artists receive a platform to fine tune approaches\, activate jam sessions\, and explore sonic possibilities while developing relationships with their audiences. \nOn Thursday evenings\, artist-composers host unique sets joined by a rotation of guest artists and ensembles. Performances offer the opportunity to showcase new work and workshop arrangements across the musical landscape\, from traditional genres reverberating the strength of the tanbou to the contemporary sound like fusion jazz and electronic music carrying Haitian vibration into the future.
URL:https://haiticulturalx.org/event/mizik-ayiti-residency-winter-series-mikaelle-aimee/
LOCATION:Haiti Cultural Exchange\, 35 Lafayette Ave\, Brooklyn\, NY\, 11217\, United States
CATEGORIES:Mizik Ayiti! Residency Series
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