Interview with Edouard Duval Carrié

              Caribbean Diaspora Oral History Collection
Interview with Edouard Duval Carrié
Miami, FL, November 9, 2015
Interview asm0344000005
Interviewed by Lucrèce Louisdhon-Louinis
Recorded by Javier Carrion
Outline by Kriti Sood
Length: 01:02:18
Interview with Edouard Duval Carrié, painter and sculptor. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Edouard remained in Haiti until the age of nine, when his family then immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he remained for nine years before he decided to return. He graduated from Loyola College in Montreal in 1978. Edouard has degrees in geography and urban planning. After college, he returned to Haiti for several years before he was invited by the French government to come to Paris. He stayed in Paris for about eight years before moving to Miami, where he now resides. Edouard Duval Carrié’s artwork delves into Haitian history and focuses on different aspects of Haiti. He tries to embody the spirit of Haiti and touches on topics such as politics, Vodou, struggle, and the Duvalier regime. This visual artist is best known for his magical realism.
This interview forms part of the Caribbean Diaspora Oral History Collection of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections.
This oral history expresses the views, memories and opinions of the interviewee. It does not represent the viewpoints of the University of Miami, its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The University of Miami makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interview and expressly disclaims any liability therefor.
Copyright to this interview lies with the University of Miami. It may not be reproduced, retransmitted, published, distributed, or broadcast without the permission of the University of Miami Libraries Special Collections. For information about obtaining copies or to request permission to publish any part of this interview, please contact Special Collections at asc@miami.edu.
INTERVIEW OUTLINE
 00:00:08: Introduction
 00:00:40: Well we always start at the beginning. So Edouard, we know you have done anything under the sun. You are a visual artist, you’ve done everything. But, we are going to start at the beginning. How about your birthplace, your family life, where you started, where did you grow up?
 00:02:54: And now what were those artists? [at the Centre d’Art] Who would you say was most influential?
 00:03:50: What did you start with? Painting or sculpting?
 00:05:15: You are more academic than anything else that is how you see yourself? So your early training and even working in Haiti, you started doing a lot of research into the history of Haiti?
 00:07:40: So you probably learned a lot from that experience?
 00:08:28: Well I can’t even imagine you copying anybody. Let’s start with that. Because I remember the first time I saw a piece that you created at the library, that’s where I first saw your work that Barbara Young showed me. She says to me “This is a Haitian artist here in Miami” and I said “really” because I was brand new into the library and even Miami. I looked at it was something about … and I said “that’s an interesting interpretation.” So I don’t think you can copy anything. So from that time, is that what you mostly referred to as the naïve?
 00:11:33: You just said something that I started thinking about. Here you are coming – you are educated, you are coming from a good family background. So when it got to…with this group, I just could imagine what your family or the other part was thinking – What is wrong with Edouard?
 00:12:53: So from there you pretty much started that foundation? You took it to Canada and that was your next stop?
 00:14:12: You probably helped in a way to focus your art in different directions?
 00:14:45: To me you are telling a story, through your art. Whether someone likes or understands it or not, it is your story.
 00:15:21: Well in addition to you knowing not only the history of Haiti, but I think it is more...Each one of them depicts a piece of it, depending on where you are, what you are thinking, or where you are at that time. Will that be correct?
 00:17:30: And in recent years it is getting worse with the owners now.
 00:18:06: I can see a new series coming up…
 00:21:46: Wow, I never thought about it this way. This is why I love doing these interviews because here we have grammar and everything else and everybody is defending that as the official language... oh, you are going to get in so much trouble!
 00:22:58: Well that might explain why we can’t function…
 00:25:10: Well you are scratching the surface in a way that makes people think and I think that is the power of your art. Whether it is a sculpture or painting, people have to stop and take a real good look. It is not like looking over a landscape and saying aw nice flowers. No, you need to take time to see, what is he trying to say here and then it is up to whoever is looking at it.
 00:25:57: Well, let me see. You went to Haiti, Canada, and what was the next country?
 00:31:30: I remember I was in New York at the Schomburg Center; there was a guest speaker one year, a black American. He came and knew exactly what to say talking about Haiti and putting Haiti in the center of everything. He was telling them none of you would be sitting in that chair if it wasn’t for that small island. And the conversation went and the debate, it was an amazing lecture.
 00:32:11: Schomburg has an amazing collection of all of that. I tell you, they have an entire collection of that. They had a whole series geared for black history month and all that and I was involved at the library, I was in Queens Library at that time and part of it was to supply information. And it was just the most amazing thing. And that got me into finding the real story, the rest of the story which you haven’t been taught in Haiti...
 00:33:39: Well let’s take you to Miami now. You first moved to Miami with your family and what year was that?
 00:37:16: And I am very interested, as this is not an easy task. What steps did you take to create this initiative?
 00:38:59: Well it is a global world; there is no point in trying doing things alone. It is absurd to try that. You just isolate yourself and can’t get anywhere.
 00:39:38: Well I think the programming is getting a lot better. So I think that people are looking for more things. I refer people all the time. I always say you have to go visit the center, see what is in the gallery and stuff.
 00:40:22: Well you know the partnership with the greater chamber of commerce will bring a lot of that too.
 00:42:09: How did we manage to get all this flavor in one big pot! Because in most places, like in California, that seem to have been a melting pot. Nothing melted in that melting pot.
 00:42:32: So we go into your new show, Imagined Landscapes and I looked it up online and saw some of the pictures and they are talking about it being different and taking a little bit of a different path than your other works?
 00:46:45: It always comes back to big businesses. Slavery is not very attractive, so now they dress our black people. They look so pretty. Dress them up with big smiles and mangoes on their heads.
 00:48:51: The only place they talk about Miami is South Beach. They will call you from wherever they are and their first question is I want to visit South Beach. There is a lot more to the city than South Beach…
 00:49:14: So, I have heard that you are one of the most recognized visual artists from the Caribbean; you know I was reading this and waiting for a reaction. How do you feel about this?
 00:51:07: But even the temperament of the people, you don’t feel totally like an outsider. I remember visiting Guadalupe, and you are like what, there is almost no difference…and they dance too! In Guadalupe, every time that I passed the radio, there was Haitian music. So that was even worse, I was looking for one different thing and all I heard was Haitian music.
 00:52:33: I mean we have had CARICOM for so many years, but they still haven’t been able to…
 00:52:57: Your work has been exhibited in many museums across the world, is there a particular exhibit that you love most?
 00:55:40: What was the theme of that show?
 00:56:18: But it has its own character. And I think that is one thing that Haitians do not realize. Unless you are in the cultural part and you do a lot of work with the culture and folklore, you would not get that. It has its own characteristics.
 00:56:57: So I remember doing some presentation at the American Museum of Natural History with the voodoo. And one of the questions we had a workshop about – the dance, and things and the relationship between folklore and voodoo. And people keep asking what are each dance in itself?... it is a whole culture, from the spirit that started it, to the way you are dancing it, to the clothes you put, the song you sing, the drum…And people are like wow. And I said yes. If you go to an African presentation, you will just beat that drum forever. No change…or you hear the same rhythm. If you learn Haitian rhythms, you have to spend time. It is not something that you come in and go. It takes time. You need to learn each one because it has its own rhythm. So it is always an amazing conversation to have.
 00:59:37: You step out of that plane and everybody is on their phone and you wonder where did they get the money to do that, how did they do that and I said you have no clue. The most inventive people…
 01:00:15: Well how do you think people will remember you? What is the legacy you will leave for the next generation?
 01:01:44: Anything that I missed that you would like to add on?
 00:52:57: Thank you so much, it was such a pleasure and an honor to be here with you.
 01:02:18: END OF INTERVIEW