7th Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art

CREATION & COUNTERPOWERS

April 3 to April 13th, 2015

PRESS KIT

Presentation of the Forum

For 15 years, the Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art, an
initiative of the Fondation AfricAmricA, is a main international
event, bringing to Haiti, every two years, professionals, artists,
researchers, critics, teachers, collectors, and promoters in the field
of visual arts.
Since 2000, when the first Forum took place, a theme serves as a
guideline and binds many different activities, such as workshops,
public lectures, exhibitions, in situ creations, lectures, debates, and
film screenings.
On the other hand, the theme allows thoughts / creations to be
inscribed in the difficult and unique Haitian context. From its
genesis, Haiti is this guarded world engaged in a forced quest, of
originality, a falsely new world in the West Indies. Indeed, the
The Robot Maksaens Denis
historical factor has determined over the last two hundred years
the unique aspects of the Haitian world.We are in a closed world
with multiple insularities: independence, freedom of ex-slaves, the Creole language, the use of French,
voodoo, sub-urbanization, the informal economy, political instability, ideological drift, political violence,
many factors of isolation that will create the conditions for its identity.
The 7th Forum of Transcultural Contemporary Art which will take place in Port-auPrince from April 3rdh to the 13th, with a theme of Creation & Counterpowers invites creatives
and researchers to deepen the relationships between creation, subversion, transgression and
resistance. The upcoming edition of the Forum has already received funding from the European Union
through PESIC (European Program Support for Cultural Initatives) and FOKAL (Fondation for Knowledge and Liberty).
The global objective of the Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art is to contribute to the
creation of international openness of the Republic of Haiti by focusing on exchanges with Africa, the
Caribbean and the Americas.
The specific objectives are:
Train young professionals in the cultural arena in Haiti through workshops given by internationally
renowned professionals.
Valuing Haitian cultural production through a multidisciplinary approach.
Take advantage of the numerousness of places of transference to make up for the lack of public cultural
spaces.

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History of the Forum

The first Forum, which theme was Identity & Diversity in the 21st Century was inaugurated in the
context of electoral violence, on April 3rd 2000, marked by the assassination of world renowned journalist Jean Dominique.
It took place in Port-au-Prince , and includes creators and speakers from Senegal, Mexico, Equator, Porto
Rico, the Dominican Republic, Canada and Haiti.
2002: Second edition of the Forum, with the theme New Worlds/Worlds New, that delves deep into
subjects such as: nostalgia of the origins, the north american myths and their deconstruction. The launch
took place in Montreal in April 2002, within the Vues DAfrique Festival, and continues in Port-au-Prince in
October 2002. The event gathered artists from Canada, Reunion, Trinidad, Paraguay, Colombia and Haiti.

Barbara Prezeau-Stphenson
sculpture

Christopher Cozier Installation at Muse

dArt Haitien du College St-Pierre

2004: Black Codes.With 15 exhibitions, 27 projected films, including the first retrospective of filmmaker
Arnold Antonin in Haiti. Researchers and creators try to deepen the possible meanings of Black and Code,
Black Code, and Black Codes. Black Codes refers to the commemoration of the Bicentennial of Haiti's
independence and to the birth of the first anti-slavery state in the world. The use of these two words
together offers many avenues for reflection and creation.
A second leg will take place in Montreal at Tohu, the international headquarters of Cirque du Soleil.
Black Codes has gathered creators and researchers from France, Runion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, du
Gabon, Canada an Haiti.

Blue Habbeas Corpus By Jack Beng-Thi at

FOKAL, Haiti.

Killy Installation

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History of the Forum

2006: The theme Exploited Bodies allowed researchers and creatives to tackle modern day issues such
as modern slavery, child labor, children and organ trafficking, science, prostitution, pornography, fashion,
advertising, sexuality, HIV, but also more antiquated forms of body exploitation, slave trade, torture, incarceration, wars, games, rituals, funeral rites, marriage, religion, trance, dance, tattooing, scarification, mortification, mutilation, initiations, theater, portraiture, human portrayal.
With 11,220 festival goers, in spite of the FIFA World Cup, the 2006 Forum offered 9 exhibitions, 7
thematics conferences, 8 shows and performances, 3 workshops with 30 participants.
The artists and researchers invited were from Canada, Reunion, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Togo, Gabon, France
and Haiti.

Elodie Barthelemy - Chevelure Collective

Myriam Mihindou - Dechoucaj

2008: The 5th Transcultural Forum's theme was Lands and Migrancy . It took place over 17 days, from
June 20th to July 6th 2008, at the main cultural locations of Port-au-Prince, Croix des Bouquets and
Jacmel, as well as the most busy public spaces, and attracted 20,000 visitors, around conferences, film
projections, creations in situ, exhibitions, workshops, lectures, musical and theatrical performances.
For international as well as local press, it's a rendez-vous with creatives and researchers hailing from :
Martinique, France, Canada, Togo, Burkina Faso, Trinidad, South America, along side their haitian peers.
As with the previous forums, the haitian capital got to be know intimately through its numerous vodou
sanctuaries, folk museums unknown to some and criticized by others, while its old neighborhoods, a real
network of artists and artisan studios, specialized markets and micro industries will be the subject of
media coverage and interviews.
Right in the midst of a political transition, this moment was, once again, one of hope and international
solidarity, and the peace and security recently acquired but strongly entrenched, contributed to the
spread of new directions, and the increase of analytical angles Haiti, beyond cultural debates, a land full
of singularities.

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History of the Forum

Painting In the City- Place Canap-Vert., Port-au-Prince. Various Artists

2011: The 6th Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art took place in Port-au-Prince, Ption-Ville and
Croix-des-Bouquets, from Sunday September 25th to Monday October 3rd 2011.
Originally planned for June 2010, it got pushed back because of the earthquake. The program, executed in
part in the public places of the capital, was also reviewed to be centered at a specific place, l'Ecole Nationale des Arts (ENARTS), and tools new technology and multimedia not commonly used in Haiti.
For the first time, from September 25th to October 3rd 2011, the Transcultural Forum of Contemporary
Art of Port-au-Prince filled up the Ecole Nationale des Arts, or ENARTS (the National School of the Arts),
the only public art school in Haiti. Closed for many months after the graduation of the April 2011 class,
the school reopened shortly after the Forum to welcome new students for a revised 4 year cycle. The
Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art played a role symbolic, spirited and diverse, in this reshaping
by introducing a dozen artists from the continents of Africa, America and Europe. Thanks to the transproject and the multimedia workshops of the Centre Culturel Virtuel (the Virtual Cultural Center) of the
ARCADES program, financed by the European Union, new technologies were at the heart of the Forum.
A variety of art practices mural paintings, paintings on canvas, sculptures, performances, etc. helped
shape the program. In addition to ENARTS, different cultural institutions were involved in the Forum all
around the city : the sculptor collective of Grand Rue, Atis Rezistans, the Centre Culturel Virtuel of the
Ministry of Culture, the Direction Nationale du Livre, the Fondation Connaissance et Libert (FOKAL),
Institut Franais, Galerie Monnin, the Muse Georges Liautaud et l'Association des Artistes et Artisans de
la Croix-des-Bouquets (ADAAC).

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History of the Forum

During 9 days, workshops, meetings, exhibitions, conferences, performances, film projections and more
contributed in promoting contemporary creations locally, regionally and internationally.
The international artists invited were:

Participated in the trans-project :

Ishola AKPO (multimedia, Bnin)

Kossi ASSOU (sculpture, Togo)
Jean-Marc HUNT (mural painting, Guadeloupe)
Myriam MIHINDOU (photo, France)
Jean MORISSET (literature, Canada)
Ezequiel TAVERAS (sculpture, Dominican
Republic)

Jol ANDRIANOMEARISOA (30 et Presque

Songes exhibition, Madagascar)
Boris NZEBO (painting, Cameroun) ;
Rina RALAY-RANAIVO (multimedia, Madagascar)
TEMANDROTA (installation, Madagascar)
Herv YAMGUEN (performance, Cameroun)

The Haitian artists participating were:

Josu AZOR (photographer)
Jean-Bernard BAYARD (film maker)
Mario BENJAMIN (visual artist)
Maksaens DENIS (film maker, multimedia artist)
Marc Antoine JOSEPH dit ZAKA (visual artist)
Tessa MARS (visual artist)
Jean Eddy REMY (sculptor)
The sculptors of Grand Rue, and those of the new
school, members of Tele Ghetto : Romel JEAN PIERRE,
Alex Louis and Stevenson SIMEON
The artists and artisans of Croix-des-Bouquets
Newly graduated ENARTS alumni
This edition of the Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art of Port-au-Prince has partnerned with the
trans_project, a project on current forms, transcontinental, transdisciplinary, transcultural, led by
BICFL/Revue Noire with Jean Loup Pivin as curator, and was created under the Programme du Groupe
ACP financed by the European Union.
The 6th Transcultural Forum of Port-au-Prince had the backing of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, of the European Development Fund (Arcades - Programme d'Appui au Renforcement de la
Culture et de l'Art pour le Dveloppement Economique et Social), the Institut Franais, the Fondation
Connaissance et Libert (FOKAL), the group IBI-DAA, and the telecommunication company Voil.

Origine -Ishalo Akpo

Digital Art Workshop with Maksaens Denis

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2015 Forum
Confirmed participants
Jean Morisset (Canada)
Habdaphai (France, Martinique)
Edgard Endress (Argentine)
Jose Manuel Noceda (Cuba)
David Frohnapfel (Allemagne)
Thierry Allet (Guadeloupe)
Kossi Assou (Togo)
Kishan Munroe(Bahamas)
Tessa Price Mars (Haiti)
Maksaens Denis (Haiti)
Josu Azor (Haiti)
David Boyer (Haiti)
Lilika Papagrigoriou (Greece/Haiti)

Etzer Pierre (Haiti)

Sbastien Jean (Haiti)
Valerie Noisette (Haiti)
Xavier Dalencour (Haiti)
Alanna Lockward (Rpublique
Dominicaine)
Manuel Mathieu (Haiti)
Rgine Cuzin (Guadeloupe)
Mafalda Nicolas Mondestin (Haiti)
Jean-Michel Ozinska (Haiti)
Yael Talleyrand (Haiti)
Karim Bleus (Haiti)
Faika Bernardeau (Haiti)

Guyodo (Haiti)
Killy (Haiti)
Dubreus Lherisson (Haiti)
Mario Benjamin (Haiti)
Pasko (Haiti)
Ti Pelen (Haiti)
Baka Roklo (Haiti)
Andre Eugen (Haiti)
Papouch Ernst Payern (Haiti)
Romel Jean-Pierre (Haiti)
Lobenson Civilma (Haiti)
Fabian Jean-Baptiste (Haiti)

Scheduled Events for the 2015 Forum

Atis Nan Kay La: Art lovers will enjoy this guided walking
tour of some of Haitis finest gingerbread houses located in the
heart of Pacot. Rara bands will accompany the guests as they
explore Haitis rich architectural and cultural beauties. Each
gingerbread will host a series of artistic performances and expositions, showcasing some of the finest contemporary artists both
locally and internationally.
Conferences: Creation & Counterpowers has been chosen
as this years theme. Throughout the duration of the forum, a
series of conferences in different parts of Port Au Prince will be
made available to the general public. Art Critics, Artists, Curators,
and Art Historians will come together to discuss a wide range of
issues bringing a new light and view on the world of contemporary art.
Exhibition at Villa Kalews: A retrospective exhibit highlighting AfricAmericas 15 years will be hosted at Villa Kalewes, in
partnership with Kolektif 509. Paintings, sculptures, video installation, digital art, and performances will be exposed during this
week long exhibit in Petionvilles oldest standing gingerbread
house.
Art in the Park: Performance and Art workshops will be
held daily in public parks such as Place Boyer. Visitors will get a
chance to explore their creativity by working with local and international artists on a wide arrange of mediums including painting
and sculpture making.
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Target Audiences
The Port-au-Prince public
The natural beneficiaries of the Forum are the inhabitants of the capital. This public, often young and
educated, francophone or even multilingual, is comprised of the student population, teachers, professionals in the cultural sectors. A media strategy done thru the various radio stations of the capital, and
a tv spot will be used to reach a much larger public. Free access to the activities will allow for meetings
within disadvantaged communities, who have very little acces to quality leisure activities nor contemporary art dealing with current issues.
The national public
With a population of 9,000,000, the Republic of Haiti is one of the most populated countries in the
Caribbean. To this day, radio is the main source of news and information for close to 60% of illiterates.
Therefore it will be used to reach a maximum of people. Furthermore, a specific endeavor is undertaken through the rural and community radio networks. This decentralized approach will be seconded
by a billboard and flyer distribution campaign throughout the Alliance Francaise locations, the CLACS
and the public library networks.
The Haitian Diaspora
Estimated at 1,000,000 immigrants, concentrated in the USA, Canada, France, Belgium and other countries in Europe, the diaspora is an important phenomena in the Caribbean, by the large and long standing presence of Haitians in Cuba, the Dominican Republic the French Antilles and in Guyane as well.
Everywhere the haitians have settled they will establish media networks, community radio shows,
publications . They will be informed by a weekly newsletter, and on a daily basis during the length of the
Forum. Flyers and posters will be distributed by airplane.
The regional and international public
The communication campaign of the Forum was done in great part on these 3 sites :
www.africamerica.org (1256 visitors a month), www.gensdelacaraibe.org (6000 connexions per month)
and www.alterpress.org.

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AfricAmrica Foundation
AfricAmricA The Foundation was created in 1999 to implement the Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art, the first festival in Haiti at an international scale, initiated in 2000.
It is the first group of visual arts professionals established in Haiti. The AfricAmricA Foundation is
supported by a network of partner institutions and associations in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the
Indian Ocean and the Americas.
Our mission is divided into three parts: training creators, promotion and dissemination of contemporary
art.

Main Achievements
The Transcultural Forum of Contemporary Art, published every 2 years (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008,
2011).
The Cultural Center AfricAmricA in Port-au-Prince from 2002 to 2008.
The Georges Liautaud Museum in the village of sculptors Noailles in Croix-des-Bouquets.
The Jean Brierre Poetry Prize, made in 2001 in partnership with the State University of Haiti, the
University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar and the International House of Poetry in Dakar.
The "Kore Atis ak Atizan" project funded by the European Union in 2008 and 2012.
Publications and derivatives such as Agenda Art, DVD and notebook "10 years of contemporary art"
directories guides.
Interventions in middle school, mentoring young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods, training
professionals, in partnership with UNICEF, the National Fund Sponsorship and USAID, the European
Commission and Plan Haiti.
Completion of three editions of the Festival of sculptures in partnership with the French Institute
The completion of the first exhibition 100% Numerik (Digital)
Projects of social and economic development benefiting target populations such as associations of
artists and artisans, youth, children and women.

Foundation Websites
www.africamerica.org
www.croix-des-bouquets.net
www.belairhaiti.net

Contact
Muse Georges Liautaud
Route de Rmy, Noailles Croix-des-Bouquets
Tel : (509)
admin@africamerica.org
Email : info@africamerica.org
Page web: http://www.africamerica.org
Barbara Przeau Stephenson
Contact for Forum
barbara@prezeau.com
France, + 33 (0)6 12 21 54 02
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Forum Organization
Barbara Przeau-Stephenson
Visual artist, art historian, forum commissioner

Josu Azor
Photography

Bernard Chancy
Engineer, member of the board of directors of
Fondation AfricAmricA

Allenby Augustin
Akoustik Prod
Logistics, exhibitions and workshops

Maksaens Denis
Visual artist, artistic director of Fondation AfricAmricA

Valrie Noisette
Visual artist, Kolektif 509

Eddy Jean Rmy

Sculptor, member of Fondation AfricAmricA
Logistics
Christine Stephenson
Geographer, member of the board of directors of
Fondation AfricAmricA

Xavier Dalencour
Visual artist, Kolektif 509
Elizabeth Pierre-Louis
Program Director of FOKAL
Michele Lemoine
Director of theatre department of FOKAL

Christelne Martial
Administration of Fondation AfricAmricA

Pascale Monnin
Visual Artist, Centre dArt

Mafalda Nicolas Mondestin

Visual Artist, member of Fondation AfricAmricA

James Noel
Poet

Our Partners
Programme Europen de Soutien aux Initiatives Culturelles, PESIC
The Ministry of Culture of Haiti
FOKAL (Fondation Konesans Ak Libet)
Institut Franais de Port-au-Prince
Le Centre dart
Kolektif 509

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