Nostalji ki fé rékòt
In this part of an ongoing series of work exploring environmental issues, daily life, and tracing roots, I follow more closely my Creole and French heritage. I visited Alabama, Mississippi, and various parts of Louisiana to see locations where my ancestors lived and worked, harvesting tales and landscapes of both historical and personal significance. Through my personal journey of learning Kouri-Vini, the endangered Creole language of Louisiana, I’ve made significant connections to these places and spaces, especially those in the parishes of Pointe Coupée, West Baton Rouge, and St. James. While there are certainly creatures, beasts, and monsters featured in this body of work, some of them remain en kashèt (hidden). Within the context of Latannyèrizm and the themes of nostalgia and mending, these narrative landscape paintings represent a journey of cultural reclamation, reflective excursions, harvests, invasive species, plus the magnificence of gargantuan flora and fauna of Louisiana.
Mo dédiyé lèkspo-çila a mô famiy, mô zanmi, é mô kamarad kréyol Lalwizyàn ki té souchin mò sitan pendan mô shinmin.
This show is dedicated to my family, friends, and fellow Louisiana Creoles who’ve been so supportive of this leg of my journey.
