Elucidating the multi-layered explorations of Haitian Canadian artist Manuel Mathieu, this first comprehensive publication focuses on how Haiti has informed Mathieus work over the past few years. Reflecting on the complex revolutionary history of his family homeland by unearthing its traumatized subconscious, and the erasure of memories of the oppressive and violent Duvalier dictatorships, Mathieus vibrant paintings blur the boundaries between personal and political. Merging abstraction with figuration, Mathieu abrades his work springing from found photographs, by rubbing and scraping off layers of paint, before reintroducing impastoed snarls of color. Positioned at the fault lines of political and environmental crises, Mathieu considers Haitis quest for self-determination as a prism reflecting a global longing for freedom, and grassroots resistance to imperialist and capitalist exploits.  Montrealbased artist MANUEL MATHIEU (*1986, PortauPrince) graduated with a Masters degree in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2016. Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Kavi Gupta, Chicago (2021), Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto (2020), and HDM Gallery, Beijing (2019).

Edwidge Danticat is the author of several books. She is the editor of The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Diaspora in the United States, Haiti Noir, and Haiti Noir 2. She has written seven books for young adults and children, as well as a travel narrative, After the Dance, A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel.