Fredric Snitzer Gallery is pleased to announce, In My Mind, In My Head, I wanted it to Happen, Vickie Pierre’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. Pierre’s exhibition presents an ongoing investigation into explorations of self-identity, ethnicity, and spirituality. With references to her Haitian heritage, as well as the larger Caribbean culture and cultural mythologies throughout the world, Pierre considers and challenges feminine and historic tropes relative to contemporary cultural politics.
Focusing on an ongoing series of work titled,Poupées in the Bush , Pierre uses bulbous, anthropomorphic forms embodying the divine. Inspired by Surrealist Hans Bellmer’s provocative and deconstructed dolls, the “Poupées'' - which means “dolls'' in French, are presented in a playful, non-linear narrative, where the abstracted figures are both a reclamation and representation of the “she forms / sisters'' - the black female body. These entities, composed on paper and canvas, are enveloped in decorative, ribbon-like lattice structures adorned with flowers; gilded and glistening in swathes of gold leaf and glitter. The colorful motifs also recall rich tribal adornments and ritual dress. Poupées exemplifies wild, abstracted femininity and beauty, harnessing stories of all warrior womxn.
“These fierce deities are powerful, sensual, meandering, roaming spirits; creatures that are bejeweled and armored. They walk the earth, laying waste and sail the seas to discover new landscapes to conquer and embrace. Speaking different languages, Poupees reference historical pasts (real and imagined), while dancing in the firelight / moonlight, lamenting their lost loves to the larger mystical world.”
In addition, the artist will present an installation with her signature use of re-contextualized vintage Avon perfume bottles, vintage home decorations, hand-strung beads, and found objects. The work connects to the artist’s personal history, considering the transgenerational and transcultural trauma of colonialism and the ongoing legacies today.
The work is meant as a prayer, a memorial to preserve and honor the souls lost by centuries of racial and social injustice. The cathartic nature of selecting and stringing the beads allows for a meditative and important personal moment of respite, reflection, and recording along with the hope and the resolve to maintain the journey towards a future of transformative and tangible change.
Vickie Pierre was born in Brooklyn, New York where she graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1997. The artist currently lives and works in Miami. Pierre has participated in solo exhibitions in South Florida at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, Diana Lowenstein Fine Art, Miami and The Art and Culture Center/ Hollywood, among others. The artist’s work has been included in group shows at Miami Art Museum (now PAMM); ArtCenter South Florida; White Box, New York; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. and Inman Gallery, Texas as well as exhibitions at the Musée International des Arts Modestes, France; Museo Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico and Fondation Clement in Martinique. Pierre’s artworks can be found in the Progressive Art Collection, Cleveland; Millennium Partners Collection of Contemporary Art at The Four Seasons, Miami; The Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland and Miami-Dade Public Library, among others.
