Join artist Fabiola Jean-Louis for a discussion of her ongoing exploration of the relationship between history, memory and identity. From her paper gowns to printed photographs, Jean-Louis guides us along her journey through the lens of time.
Jean-Louis’s Rewriting History series consisting of period paper gowns, painterly photographs and Polaroids has been exhibited at several institutions, including Smithsonian affiliates and the DuSable Museum of African American History. In 2021, the Metropolitan Museum of Art commissioned a paper sculpture for a two-year exhibition, Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. It debuted in 2021, making Jean-Louis the first Haitian woman artist to show in the prestigious institution.
About Fabiola Jean-Louis
Fabiola Jean-Louis was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and moved to Brooklyn at a young age. While attending the High School of Fashion Industries, her passion for the arts flourished. Jean-Louis discovered her talent for photography much later in life. Around 2013 she began taking self-portraits as a matter of convenience, shyness, and because she knew how to convey the stories she wanted to tell using her body. Later her work grew to include other subjects, costumes and sculptures made entirely out of paper. Today, her practice focuses on experimentation using different techniques, disciplines and art styles.
How to Participate
This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online via the George Washington Museum and the Textile Museum website. You will receive an email with a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the event starts (7 p.m. EDT / 4 p.m. PDT). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.
About Contemporary Voices
Meet innovative artists and scholars whose practice draws on textile materials, techniques or knowledge. This series is presented in partnership with The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum and is supported through the museum’s Cynthia and Alton Boyer Fund for Education.
PROGRAM INFO
Contemporary Voices: Fabiola Jean-Louis
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
7 – 8 p.m. EDT / 4 – 5 p.m. PDT
Registration link: https://connect.gwu.edu/site/Calendar?id=119630&view=Detail
IMAGE CREDIT: Fabiola Jean-Louis (Haitian, b. 1978), Garden Dress II (detail). Photo courtesy of the artist.
