Ceromine Bois Caiman (date unknown), beads and sequins on fabric, 52 x 82 inches. All images Myrlande Constant, courtesy of the artist and Fort Gansevoort, New York, shared with permissionEmbellished Vodou Flags by Myrlande Constant Spotlight The Spiritual World of HaitiJanuary 28, 2025Kate MothesWhen Myrlande Constant (previously) was a teenager, she worked alongside her mother in a commercial wedding dress factory in Port-au-Prince. There, she learned the tambour embroidery technique, which utilizes a hook to create chain stitches with beads and sequins on fabric.By foregrounding her specialized skills honed in the fashion industry, Constants approach todrapohas broken gender barriers and elevated the overlooked creative labor of Haitian female factory workers to the realm of fine art, says a statement from Fort Gansevoort, which will present the artists work next month in a solo exhibition titled The Spiritual World of Haiti.Marasah-Cai Leh-Crole-Marasah-Guinin-Marasah-bois (date unknown), beads and sequins on fabric, 74 x 55.25 inchesDrapo, or drapo Vodou, typically describes a style of embroidered flag embellished with beads or sequins, but the term can also be applied to a wide range of art forms like painting, clothing, assemblages, and sculptures. Constants pieces, which she has been renowned for since the 1990s, highlight a variety of materials, colors, textures, and all-over compositions brimming with ritual activity and symbols.Haitian Vodou, an African diasporic religion that developed between the 16th and 19th centuries, merged Western and Central African traditions with Roman Catholicism. Its divine creator, Bondye, is inaccessible to humans, so spirits known as lwas serve as intermediaries that can be invoked during ceremonies by possessing individuals, enabling communication with Bondye and transmission of advice, admonishment, or healing.Though she considers her art-making to be rooted in spirituality, Constant does not create her works for the purpose of display in Vodou temples, preferring instead to exhibit them in museums and galleries internationally, a statement says.For Constant, art-making is a statement of resistance within the context of Haitis extreme political and economic instability. The nations current unrest was spurred by protests against high fuel prices in 2018 and a demand that then-president Jovenel Mose resign. He refused to step down but was assassinated in 2021, further escalating tensions. A federation of gangs continues to clash with the government, spawning more protests, violence, and perpetuating an evolving humanitarian crisis.Detail of Au nom de 29 points cimetiere par pou voir Baron SamediMarinette Bois Chche is the earliest work that will be on view in the exhibition and depicts the martyrdom of Vodou lwa Marinette. According to folklore, Vodou lwa Marinette was burned alive for fighting against slavery and participating in a paradigm-shifting Bwa Kayiman ceremony in 1791, which spawned the 12-year Haitian Revolution.The insurrection, an uprising of enslaved people against French colonial rule, is unique in history because it led to the founding of a state ruled by former captives and non-white people and free from slaveryalthough it still permitted forced labor. Constants title translates to something like Marinette of the dry wood, evoking the ceremony that typically takes place around a bonfire and calling upon a momentous period in Haitis history.The artists drapo are densely beaded and often much larger than their traditional counterparts. The most recent work on view in the exhibition, Devosyon Makaya spans ten feet wide and took around three years to create. Constant describes her process as painting with beads, transforming fabric and findings into elaborate narratives evoking time-honored Haitian customs.The Spiritual World of Haiti opens on February 27 and continues through April 26 in New York City.Au nom de 29 points cimetiere par pou voir Baron Samedi (date unknown), beads and sequins on fabric, 58 x 70 inchesMarinette Bois Chche (1994), beads and sequins on fabric, 33 x 37 inchesPar pou voir torit les saints torit les morts torit armes ou purgatoir b manman ak bo papamaternel et paternal en non digr cela mizerricorde (date unknown), beads, sequins, and tassels on fabric, 76.5 x 96 inchesDetail of Par pou voir torit les saints torit les morts torit armes ou purgatoir b manman ak bo papamaternel et paternal en non digr cela mizerricordeDetail of Ceromine Bois CaimanNext article