Miami Proud: Artist Edouard Duval-Carrié's Work Focuses On Haitian People And Its History

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Today's Miami Proud spotlight shines brightly on contemporary artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, whose work is both a labor of love and a lesson in history of the Haitian people.

Inside his art studio on NE 59 Street in Miami, there are mysterious, colorful, magical images made of every medium filling the space.

"[My work is] quite multi-disciplinary, the only thing I haven't touched is cinema," Duval-Carrié said.

"I've always been interested in art. I did not study it which is unfortunate. I am an urban planner and geographer by profession which I never professed. But it permits me to have a greater understanding of the world."

Duval-Carrié was always fascinated by art, visiting galleries in Haiti as a child and wanting to purchase art.

So, he decided to start painting and sold the first piece he displayed.

Duval-Carrié has traveled, lived, and worked in Puerto Rico, Paris, Montreal, New York before coming to Miami in the early 1990s.

"It was a very rough area almost like an 'OK corral' scenario, with 'bang bang' every night, but we managed and we enjoyed it," he said.

When the city began to revitalize the area, his role was pivotal.

"I really demanded that they have a gallery," he admitted.

The gallery is at the Little Haiti Cultural Center on the same block, where Duval-Carrié exhibits there include the ongoing series Global Caribbean/Borderless Caribbean, in its 13th year.

He is also a founding member and current executive director of the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance, created in 1994 to promote Afro-Caribbean history and art.

In his studio, the works exhibited are the interpretations and stories of his native country of Haiti.

Decades of study and works convey the impact of colonialism, slavery, politics, as well as the beauty and resilience of Haitian people.

Duval-Carrié is an artist, curator storyteller, and educator.

"I'm not a historian, I'm an artist. I'm always looking at what's happening around me," he said.

A constant student of Haiti and the Caribbean culture he has traveled abroad to the roots of voodoo, to Benin, Ghana, and Senegal.

Currently, he is an artist in residence at Centre College in Kentucky.

He is committed to presenting the complex Haitian history to audiences everywhere with his art.

"An image is more important than anything- you create an image and it's like a thousand words or a thesis."

For more information visit his website or the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance here.