Firelei Báez’s captivating installation in the large-scale Unlimited section reimagines the Palace of Sans Souci in the north of Haiti as a submerged archaeological ruin.
Decaying arches and walls are adorned with hand-painted motifs of birds, flowers, animals, and combs based on traditional West African indigo prints. Algae and coral emerge from rocks wherein household products, women’s shoes, and a handbag are embedded—references to lives lost at sea during the Middle Passage, where Africans were forced onto ships bound for the Americas, and to migration. The monumental, walk-through piece reflects upon the legacy of the palace.
It once served as the residence of King Henri I, who was instrumental in the Haitian Revolution that resulted in independence from France, and was irrevocably damaged by an earthquake in 1842. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1981 and based in New York, Báez is known for exploring diasporic histories of the Caribbean. The artist will have her first solo show in Europe at Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art from October 2023 to February 2024.
