Manuel Mathieu: World Discovered Under Other Skies

This volume elucidates the paintings of Haitian Canadian artist Manuel Mathieu (b. 1986), which oscillate between figuration and abstraction in their excavations of history. The first comprehensive publication on the artist’s work, it focuses on how Haiti has informed the substantial oeuvre that Mathieu has produced over the past few years. Positioned at the fault lines of modern political and environmental crises, Haiti epitomizes a global longing for freedom and grassroots resistance to imperialist and capitalist exploits. Mathieu also became interested in the Duvalier dictatorships (his maternal grandfather was a colonel in Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s brutal regime, while members of his father’s family were executed by the same government). At the center of Manuel Mathieu: World Discovered under Other Skies is an examination of the ongoing repercussions of Haiti’s pioneering revolt against slavery and its quest for self-determination.

Edited by Gaëtane Verna. Texts by Amin Alsaden, Osei Bonsu, Sylvie Lacerte, Manuel Mathieu, Edwidge Danticat, Joana Joachim, Gaëtane Verna, graphic design by Irma Boom. Texts in English and French.

Published by Hatje Cantz in association with the Power Plant, with support from Kavi Gupta, 2022, softcover, 120 pages, 11 x 8 inches.