Made in Haiti : Seth + Martha Cooper

WYNWOOD + LITTLE HAITI | May 11 - June 1, 2019

Fabien Castanier Gallery is proud to present an exhibition featuring work from Seth and Martha Cooper, which will be held in both our Wynwood gallery and Little Haiti location from May 11 through June 1. The show will include original paintings, installations and wall murals from French artist Seth, alongside photography by Martha Cooper.

This exhibition traces the quest for children’s creativity on the streets of Haiti. From the shantytown of Soleil to the countryside of the central plateau and through the tradition-steeped Jacmel, the two artists unveil the imaginative wealth of Haitian children, and the power of their resilience.

Julien Malland began painting murals in the 20th arrondissement of Paris under the name of Seth. As a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, he published a book entitled “Kapital” in collaboration with Gautier Bischoff, which to this day remains one of the best-selling books about French graffiti. In 2003, he began a global exploration of urban spaces, in order to broaden his horizons on life and in mural painting. He’s developed a recognizable and distinct style, working often within the theme of “childhood”. He incorporates imaginative and mythical elements while opening a dialogue on the image of innocence within difficult social, political and geographical contexts. For this exhibition, Seth presents canvases, installations, and murals throughout the Little Haiti district of Miami.

American photographer, Martha Cooper, first began photographing graffiti and urban youth in New York City in the late 1970s. Now one of the best known documentary photographers, Cooper continues to explore the creativity expressed by young people around the world. In 1978 and ’79, on vacation from her staff photographer’s job at the New York Post, Cooper travelled to Haiti and was intrigued by kids who manufactured their own toys from trash. She photographed similar scenes back in NY, capturing the ingenuity of youngsters in often difficult circumstances. This April, forty years later, Cooper returned to Haiti to collaborate with artist Seth. Their resulting exhibition and installation, Made in Haiti, shines a poignant and inspiring light on Haitian children now and then.