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Haiti's Glittering Voudon Flags:

Stitching Religion Into Art

At the Mishkin Gallery, February 7 to March 6, 2003

BARUCH COLLEGE, NEW YORK, NY (2/05/03)

The glittering sequined flags (known as drapo in Kreyol) that adorn Haiti's voudon temples are emblems of the island's religious traditions, history and cultural life.

Used to invoke and honor the loa, or spirits of the voudon pantheon, the richly adorned flags draw their origins from the beadwork and applique artforms of the Fon, Ewe and Yoruba ethnic groups, as well as the intricate sacred signatures of the Kongo religion.

Manifestations of faith as well as artistry, they are magnificently varied in color and design. Each flag reflects the personality of the loa it is made to honor.

Since hundreds of loas exist, each with his own personality and favorite foods, trees and colors, voudon flagmakers have a nearly infinite panoply of symbols, colors and designs on which to draw.

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/voudon_exhibit.html

The Sidney Mishkin Gallery

Baruch College

135 East 22 Street

New York, NY 10010

Tel: 212/802-2690

Carrie Art Collection

http://www.carrieartcollection.com

link: http://www.carrieartcollection.com/g...doo/index.html