Sergine André: A Space to Create : Women's History Month Online Exhibition

23 Mars - 30 Avril 2024

"...As a woman, a single mother, it is not always easy to carry out our artistic projects, the precariousness, the space to create, this worry about what tomorrow will bring, but we hang on for the love of art and of beauty."

 

Sergine André

Galerie Monnin is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month through the lens of women artists.  Sergine André ("Djinn") is one of the many Haitian women artists making waves in the international art world. She is a multiple award winning artist, born in Haiti and now living in Brussels. Her art is heavily informed by her childhood growing up in the rural countryside in the Arbitonite region, where there was no electricity and its inhabitants were deeply tied to the land. André's artwork emanates the ethereal, where Djinn dances among the spirits, between the visible and invisible world. Since launching her artistic career with the Galerie Monnin at her first exhibition in 1996, Djinn has exhibited all over the world, including the 54th Venice Art Biennale in 2011.

  • André has two upcoming shows in 2024, one at the National Palace of Art and Culture, Warsaw, Poland, and the...

    André has two upcoming shows in 2024, one at the National Palace of Art and Culture, Warsaw, Poland, and the 150th Anniversary of the Historical Mommens Studios in Brussels, Belgium. Her artist monograph was published in 2023.

     

    Read on for a tour of works and highlights from an in-depth interview between Gaël Monnin and the artist. Scroll down past the artworks to read the full interview.

  • FEATURED ARTWORKS

    • Sergine ANDRE, Bleu Cities #1, 2022
      Sergine ANDRE, Bleu Cities #1, 2022
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Blue cities #2, 2022
      Sergine ANDRE, Blue cities #2, 2022
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Même le Futur est Amoureux d’Haiti
      Sergine ANDRE, Même le Futur est Amoureux d’Haiti
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara elegua, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara elegua, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara Gran Bwa Dyptich Installation, 2020
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara Gran Bwa Dyptich Installation, 2020
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Cities I, 2020
      Sergine ANDRE, Cities I, 2020
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara gran bwa, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara gran bwa, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara Major-Jonc, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara Major-Jonc, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara Mon, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara Mon, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara paillette, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara paillette, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Universal rara, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Universal rara, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara rasanbleman, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara rasanbleman, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rencontre des rara, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rencontre des rara, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, San perdido #1, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, San perdido #1, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara Tainos, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara Tainos, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Rara Vertiere, 2021
      Sergine ANDRE, Rara Vertiere, 2021
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    • Sergine ANDRE, The Flock, 2024
      Sergine ANDRE, The Flock, 2024
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Vévé (based on Ogun) , 2024
      Sergine ANDRE, Vévé (based on Ogun) , 2024
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Cities-Mask Hybrid, 2024
      Sergine ANDRE, Cities-Mask Hybrid, 2024
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    • Sergine ANDRE, Cities deconstructed, 2024
      Sergine ANDRE, Cities deconstructed, 2024
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  • Interview with Sergine Andre Celebrating Women's History Month, by Gaël Monnin
    The artist in front of her work, Rara Tainos.

    Interview with Sergine Andre Celebrating Women's History Month

    by Gaël Monnin

    GM: Are there any women mentors or figures in your life who have supported or influenced your artistic journey? 

    SA:  These are the great female figures of my childhood, in particular, my grandmother, my mother, my aunts, my school teachers, who marked me, through their dedication, their love, their determination -  perhaps without knowing it, or put the label ‘art’ on what I did, who have supported me a lot in their own way - to become the woman I am.  Women were always present around me – in the field, in the clinics, administration, in the fields – they were always a strong presence in my life.

     

    GM: Can you name any women artists who have inspired or influenced your work? How have they impacted your artistic style or subject matter?

    SA:  I saw a lot of work by female artists around the world and was lucky enough to be able to travel a lot, especially through my own work. I immerse myself in many echoes, the fight for the right of women to exist, to rescue them from oblivion. I continue to discover many more female artists on all continents, each fighting for recognition and for the right to express themselves, despite the many challenges they each face within their own contexts.

     
  • GM: Have you ever collaborated with other women in the art world ? If so, how did their perspectives shape...

    Installation View: Rara Elegua, Rara Vertiere, Universal Rara


    GM: Have you ever collaborated with other women in the art world ? If so, how did their perspectives shape your creative process?

    SA: Yes, when I participated in the EKO workshops at Pétion-ville in Port-Au-Prince I collaborated with many female artists.  And later along the pathway of my life, I had plenty of insipiring encounters -  I think above all else, it was more a case of making strong and important friendships.

     

    GM: Are there any specific themes or issues related to womanhood that you explore in your art?

    SA:  Not specifically, I touch on themes that are linked to humanity, wandering, exile, tenderness, the afterlife of questions that concern us all – and that includes of course womanhood.

  • GM: Have you encountered any challenges as a woman in your career? How have you navigated them creatively? SA: As...
    © d'Astrid di Crollanza photography

    GM: Have you encountered any challenges as a woman in your career? How have you navigated them creatively?

    SA: As a woman, a single mother, it is not always easy to carry out our artistic projects, the precariousness, the space to create, this worry about what tomorrow will bring, but we hang on for the love of art and of beauty.

  • GM: In what ways do you think the art world can better support and amplify the voices of women artists?...

    Installation View: Bozar Rara Paillette, Bozara Rara Encounters with Packet Congo, Balanse Rara.

     

    GM: In what ways do you think the art world can better support and amplify the voices of women artists?

    To start with, better remuneration and wider distribution. This is certainly not yet the case regarding salary.

     

    GM: Each year Women’s History Month focuses on a different theme- this year women who advocate for diversity, equity & inclusion. Have you encountered any challenges related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the art world? If so, how have you addressed them in your work or daily life?

    SA: When I work, I try to take a step back, not to get constantly caught up in these problems of inclusion, equity, diversity, in debates.  Yes, I like to discuss it in a group, or as a family and between friends, this fits into my work as best I can, for example through my ‘cities’ series which deals with living together etc.

     
  • GM: What role do you believe artists play in fostering dialogue and understanding around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion?...
    The artist with Rara Vertiere at the Centre de Fine Arts, Brussels.

    GM: What role do you believe artists play in fostering dialogue and understanding around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion?

    SA: Artists and creators have been making things happen since the dawn of time. Women's right to vote, the right to own their body, and most recently the #metoo movement, as long as there are no excesses, no elements of revenge (which I find to be destructive to the greater cause), the fight will continue. The patriarchy has a thick skin, but we are certainly not giving up, and indeed, getting stronger.

     

    GM: Are there any changes you would like to see within the art world to promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusion? 

    SA: Of course I would like to see that for us women, that we don't have to have five crappy little jobs to survive... that we have space to create, more recognition, and real sharing and of so-called support from people who say they love art, but more often than not, they don't really end up having much respect for artists.

     

    GM: Any final thoughts you would like to add?

    SA: I am passionate about beauty. I am moved by so many works of art- these are emotions that are sometimes difficult to share. I wish that leaders around the world would put more emphasis on access to so much beauty all the way to childhood since this is when the love, the appreciation begins. To avoid ugly cities, ugly interiors, more beauty, beautiful gardens, a world closer to nature to ensure its protection. The mere pleasure of watching a butterfly fluttering by, is a beautiful thing. Too often we forget the simple delights of the beauty that exists all around us.

     
  • In this monograph, Sergine André, known as Djinn, gives us an overview of her artistic journey from 1995 to today....
    In this monograph, Sergine André, known as Djinn, gives us an overview of her artistic journey from 1995 to today. The book weaves links with her personal life, her travels, her encounters and her friendships which are at the heart of her artistic and human journey by crossing works and texts. She adorns this beautiful book with reproductions of her paintings and a text co-written with Jean-Marie Théodat, to the rhythm of the themes that inhabit her artistic life: exile, cities, wandering, of the. We find an urgency to say things, through painting and through words, just like a call for the urgency to enter into dialogue with oneself and with the world, in search of a living together to invent, still and always. His work has its source in Haitian Creole culture and is nourished by current art.
    Click here to order Sergine Andre's Monograph
  • For more information, please contact us at info@galeriemonnin.com