In this exhibition, Mapping Ancestry through Sound, Space and Time, artist Stina Baudin animates her Haitian ancestry through research and reconstructed stories around cultural emblems, knowledge, time and land. Baudin’s previous work has drawn from statistical examinations of Black time and migration, visualized as large textured weavings; in this exhibition she focuses the depth of her time in the creation of her own versions of ‘Drapo Vodou’ (known in English as Vodou Flags). Baudin positions colonial time as an ideology that, “as the structural backbone of slavery, dominating cultural norms, informed by race-making and capital, dictated how time should be used”. Colonial time imposed on Black and Indigenous lands becomes a weapon, disrupting not only the rhythms and rituals related to traditional ways of being, but also long established relationality with the land and its usage.
The works in this exhibition are a project of revolutionary artifacts; Drapo Vodou is linked to both the sacred world as well as the Haitian Revolution (1791 – 1804). Drapo Vodou played a significant role in the revolution, like Black American quilts, they carried hidden encoded messages and connected communities in resistance. The act of creating these works for Baudin acknowledges the difficulty in gathering lost familial knowledge as generations continue; “our past is a feat that isn’t always accessible by conversation, returns to our native lands or through extensive pre-existing archives. The documents and ledgers of our stories are fragmented versions of tales I am constantly attempting to piece back together through my fibre and multidisciplinary work.”
Baudin’s exhibition includes soundscapes in collaboration with Montréal/Tiotia’ke-based sound artist, musician and composer Markus Floats, whose live performances include accompaniment by specific sampling or reading from Black literary canon, with a focus on exploring themes of repetition, obscurity, and visibility. Join us for Markus’ performance at 7:30 PM opening night, followed by a talk-back session with Stina.
Stina Baudin’s Website: https://stinabaudin.com/
Stina Baudin’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssteenaa/
Markus Floats Bandcamp: https://markusfloats.bandcamp.com/music
Markus Floats Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markus.floats
Images courtesy of Stina Baudin and Savannah Faith Jackson.