Scherezade Garcia

Memories of a Utopian Island is a collaboration between Vladimir Cybil Charlier and Scherezade Garcia addressing contemporary issues related to the diaspora. In the animated video Conversation Thread, the artists intermittently speak a mix of Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole. Their voices are illustrated with their intertwining silhouettes to imagine an equal and collaborative environment rather than a frictional one. The animated film Escena de La Selva (Jungle Scenes) explores the history of movement across the island, from maroons, revolutionary battles, and current acts of repatriation on the island and in the U.S.—where both artists reside. Finally, the installation Les Jeux de Hazards (The Games of Hazards)/The DNA Games is comprised of various life preservers made of rice paper beaded in the manner of Haitian Vodou flags, outlining the artists’ DNA make-up following tests that they undertook, with one that combines the results of both artists. The life preservers are unmarked, leaving the viewer to assign, perhaps incorrectly, their respective DNAs.