When British artist/curator Leah Gordon reached out to Haitian-born painter and sculptor Edouard Duval-Carrié a few years ago for help curating an exhibit focused on the city of Port-au-Prince, Gordon left a lot to the imagination.

But she also knew what she wanted.

“The concept she outlined was to organize a very ambitious presentation of the city of Port-au-Prince and identify within its confines, poles of cultural production focusing on the visual arts,” said Duval-Carrié, recalling their conversation.

Duval-Carrié, who was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, knew exactly where to go to bring Gordon’s vision to life: Grand Rue, the capital’s grand street where junk, scraps and automobile parts are transformed daily into expressions of everyday life in Haiti, and where Haitian art has undergone a rebirth.

“The apocalyptic vision they present to us in their powerful sculptures is a far cry from the production that has characterized Haitian art production in the decades prior,“ Duval-Carrié said about Grand Rue’s homespun artists.

That vision is part of the large-scale exhibition, “PÒTOPRENS: The Urban Artists of Port-au-Prince,” being featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. Curated by Duval-Carrié, Gordon and others, it brings together the works of 20 Haitian artists. Their work includes sculptures, photographs, films and a recreated Port-au-Prince barbershop, all highlighting the capital’s street life and religious heritage. Together they provide a portrait of a historical city in flux, and Haiti’s chaotic intersections of history, art, religion, politics scene and cultural shifts.

“We selected the works from informal collectives of majority class artists creating art works from specific zones of production within the city making works, which are bound together by shared cultural and material practices,” said Gordon.

The exhibit, she added, “is envisioning Haitian contemporary art production through the lens of the city of Port-au-Prince.”

Echoing Gordon’s sentiments, Duval-Carrié said the artists being exhibited “are responding to the spiraling collapse of the Haitian economy and by extant the expanding divide between North and South.

“We hope that not only the general public but in particular the Haitian expatriates living in Miami may realize that artists such as the Grand Rue collective are engaged in discussions that situates them at the core of the North-South dilemma and that their production illustrates very forcefully the disparities that are creating a most untenable situation worldwide,” he said.

The exhibit will run until Aug. 11. The cost of viewing the exhibit at MOCA is free for members and $10 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

The exhibit is one of many displays of Haitian art and culture that will be available next month when South Florida celebrates Haitian Heritage month.

Haitian Heritage Month Events

May 2, 5-9 p.m.: Dance to the rhythms of Little Haiti Rara Lakay, and DJ Gardy’s blend of konpa, rara with electronic and house beats during Community Night at Pérez Art Museum Route 1804: The Evolution of the Flag and the Beat. Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Free

May 3, 3-6 p.m.: A free cultural Conversation at the Betsy Hotel, 1440 Ocean Dr. Miami Beach. Join several prominent members of the South Florida community as they discuss life as a “hyphenated” American of Caribbean descent.

May 10, 7 p.m.: Enjoy a curated experience with ROUTE 1804, Evolution: The Flag at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 59th Terr., Miami. Free

May 16, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.: Miami Haitian Compas Festival Welcome to Miami Hang Out Thursday party, featuring Enposib, Magik Kenny, Dj Bullet, Valmix, DJ FMA, Ted Bounce. Cafe iguana Pines, 8358 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. Cost is $30 in advance, more at the door. For tickets go to eventbrite.

May 16, 8-midnight: The Citadel food hall at 8300 NE Second Ave., Miami will host konpa on the rooftop with Haitian musician, MikaBen and local DJs. The free event will also feature food and conversation.

May 17, 6-11 p.m.: Sounds of Little Haiti at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 212 NE 54th St., featuring System Band. The free outdoor concert will also celebrate Haitian Flag Day, May 18.

May 17, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.: Miami Haitian Compas Festival, Black Party featuring Djakout #1, Zenglen, Kai, Roody Roodboy. Cafe Iguana Pines, 8358 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. Cost is $40 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

May 17, 10 p.m.-5 a.m:, Miami Haitian Compas Festival, Black Party featuring Harmonik, Vayb, Nu Look, Kreyol La. Wynwood Factory, 55 NE 24th St., Miami. Cost is $40 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

May 18, 4 p.m-6 a.m: The 21st annual Haitian Compas Festival returns to Mana Wynwood, Midtown Miami, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami. The event features the top bands in Haitian konpa music. Cost is $50 in advance for general admission, $100 VIP. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite or call 305-945-8814.

May 18, 10 pm.-4 a.m.: Haitian Compas Festival after party featuring Kai, Enposib at Club Reign, 9940 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. Cost is $40 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

May 19, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.: Haitian Compas Festival All White Affair featuring Vayb, Nu Look, Harmonik, Tony Mixx and DJ Heavy at Cafe Iguana Pines, 8358 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. Cost is $40 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

May 20, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.: Haitian Compas Festival GoodBye Miami party featuring Zenglen, T-Vice and Gabel at at Cafe Iguana Pines, 8358 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. Cost is $30 in advance. Tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.

May 25, 7 p.m.: Haitian American Leadership Organization (HALO) 14th annual HALO Cultural Night celebrating Haitian women in the history of Haiti and featuring konpa band, T-Vice. Cost is $175 for general admission and $225 for VIP, JW Marriott Ballroom, 1109 Brickell Ave., Miami. Tickets can be purchased at www.halohaiti.org/tickets/

Haiti-based photographer Samuel Dameus has a lot in common with Frederick Ives, the man who captured the images of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Like Ives, Sameus’ native country Haiti was hit by a disastrous earthquake, and like the 20th Century photographer, Dameus’ increased interest in photography started with the acclaim he received for his post-disaster photos. He was contacted by news agency EuroNews to be part of the team behind Silent Disaster: One Year Later, a documentary on the Haiti earthquake. This breakthrough provoked an interest in social photography. He recently made a stop in Miami to release a Haiti photo book and for a photo exhibit.

Kreyolicious: What’s the most memorable photo from your childhood?
During my childhood in Haiti, having ones picture taken was a luxury. You either had to go to a photographer’s studio or hire one to come to you. I have an positive experience that has remained engraved in my memory. At approximately five years old, as a reward, my mother took me to a photo studio to have my picture taken. I was poised with joy and was beyond excited to have my picture taken. The photographer (after a brief convo with my mother) felt compelled to extend my reward by taking me on the famous Boulevard of Cap-Haïtien for my very own impromptu photoshoot.

A few years later, at seven years old, I recall seeing the frail face of an starving child in Africa in the newspaper. Until this day, I vividly have the recollection of this image in my mind. It impacted me in ways I couldn’t fully comprehend then, but it was memorable enough where my mind kept going back to it over the years. In recent days, that same picture made it on Time magazine’s on of the top 100 photos of the century.

Kreyolicious: Have you ever taken a photo that turned out differently from what you intended…but in a good way?
In June 2015, American Airlines magazine “American Way” decided to do a spread about Haiti for the very first time. The magazine is very popular and is seen daily by passengers on all 6700 flights across the world. I was fortunate enough to have one of my images of Kokoye Beach in Petit Gôave, Haiti be featured in the prestigious publication. Never did I imagine when taking that picture it would be exposed to millions around the world. The article named “Hidden Glory” featured Haiti’s best attributes. Most recently, in December 2016, while visiting my hometown of Cap-Haïtien, I visited the local street market and took a picture of a group of vegetables vendors. I named the picture “Hidden Figures”. It is the most responsive photo I’ve ever shared on my platform. The beauty hidden in the reality of the picture resonate with the Faces Of Haiti.

Kreyolicious: How did the idea for the Faces of Haiti photo exhibit come about?
As a kid, and now as an adult, I have traveled throughout the country exploring different places. Just enjoying having Haiti as my backyard, not realizing that the views I was seeing I sometimes took for granted. Over the years, as I continue to share some simple pictures on my social media pages, people from all walks of life were in awe of the images, that’s when I knew I had to put Haiti on display, and voila Faces Of Haiti was born. The Faces Of Haiti Expo and Book Release will allow the guests in attendance to discover the many facets of Haiti and its multi-dimensional splendor.

Kreyolicious: Tell us about the process selection for the book itself.
The selection process was challenging due to the number of photos I have taken over the years. Nonetheless, the book is a collection of images that depict the daily life of Haitians and the beauty of the land. From my compilation of files it took me a few days to settle on the photos I selected to share in the book. The photos in the book will take you on a journey to rediscover the Faces Of Haiti.

Kreyolicious: Your first stop was in Miami. How did that go?
Being that Miami is the closest US city from home, it was the perfect location to launch my Faces Of Haiti series. The event was a complete success. I felt the warm welcome of my Miami supporters, and I’m highly motivated to continue sharing Haiti through my camera lenses.

Kreyolicious: You have many more cities to go. What’s next following your tour.
Yes indeed! with Faces Of Haiti I will take Haiti beyond its borders. On March 26th it will be in Washington D.C., May in Paris, June in Montreal and a final scheduled show in Port-au-Prince Haiti. I have to admit that I’ve received countless requests to host a Faces Of Haiti event in New York. I will study the possibilities with my team and will update the public in due time. Updates for all the event will be on SamuelDameus.eventbrite.com. I will continue to promote Haiti with Faces Of Haiti—the book—and canvas prints which are now available on my website.

CLICK HERE to visit the photographer’s website and to keep up with his work and his future exhibits.