Morel Doucet

2019 Artaxis Fellowship Juror

Morel Doucet (b. 1990, Pilate, Haiti) is a Miami-based multidisciplinary artist and arts educator that hails from Haiti. His work portrays a contemporary depiction of the Black experience, cataloging a powerful record of environmental decay at the intersection of economic inequity, the commodification of industry, personal labor, and race. Doucet’s Emmy-nominated work has been featured and reviewed in numerous publications, including Vogue Mexico, Oxford University Press, Hyperallergic, Biscayne Times, and Hypebeast. He graduated from the New World School of the Arts with the Distinguished Dean’s Award for Ceramics. From there, he continued at the Maryland Institute College of Art, receiving his BFA in Ceramics with a minor in creative writing and concentration in illustration.

Doucet has exhibited extensively in prestigious national and international institutions, including at the Havana Biennial; the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, Miami; the National Council on Education for Ceramic Arts, Pittsburgh; American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona; Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami; Flaten Art Museum; St. Olaf College; São Tomé et Príncipe; Haitian Heritage Museum, Miami; and Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Miami.

His current endeavor as the Curriculum and Tour Coordinator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA MIAMI), is helmed by an interest in immersing young audiences personalized courses that instigate curiosity, sensory perception, and visual literacy.

Statement

My work explores the cultural disparity of self- realization, assimilation, and transnational identity as a Haitian immigrant. Using direct or implied human figures, I explore narratives of vulnerability, isolation, and alienation within various cultures across the globe. Within the vocabulary of indigenous art and my dreams, I create whimsical forms resulting in a diary of self-mythology.

These exchanges allude to a larger conversation about sea-level rise, environmental pollution, and the displacement between descendants of the African diaspora, and their physical environments. Through intensive detailed labor, my work mimics the current state of Black fragility. I employ ceramics, illustrations, and prints to examine the realities of climate- gentrification, migration, and displacement within the Black diaspora communities. In addressing these issues, I merge my Afro-Caribbean culture with flora and fauna and draw from the concerns of the collective consciousness of my community.

In my quest to illustrate the impact of climate-gentrification, I present work with visual impact and sensitivity —and draw inspiration from the indigenous cultures of the Amazon, Aboriginal people of Australia, and the Yoruba tribe of West Africa.

“The Blacker the Berries, the Sweeter the Juice”

9” x 7.5” x 8”
Porcelain Ceramics, Slip-cast, and Hand Altered-Forms, 2020.
Photography by David Gary Lloyd. Image courtesy of artist Morel Doucet and Galerie Myrtis.

“Some say, “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.” I say, the darker the flesh, the deeper the roots.”- Tupac Shakur

It’s not a racist phrase but rather a compliment. It implies that darker skin is more close to its roots and rich history. It also implies that black women are kinder, gentler, and more loving if they have dark skin. The saying comes from the south. In the country, blackberries are popular. The darker blackberries are sweetest and often used in pies, jams, and other tasty treats. In the eighties and nineties, it was used as a phrase to sexualize black women. It usually has a positive connotation. It was made popular by hip hop rapper Tupac Shakur who spent his life raising awareness on issues facing African Americans and praising their beauty intelligence, and promoting racial equality and community.

“Regal Black Madonna (Black is Black, Black is Motherhood)”

Porcelain Ceramic with Cast Altered Forms
12″ x 12″ x 6.5″, 2019.
Photography by Pedro Wazzan. Image courtesy of artist Morel Doucet and Galerie Myrtis.

This piece reference duality within the double consciousness, colorism, and the mysteries surrounded by one of most revered female icons in Art history the Virgin Mary.

“Skin Congregate on the Eve of Every Mountain”

Slip-cast Porcelain Ceramics
12.5” 20.5” x 3.5” (Dimesions variable depending on configuration), 2019.
Photography by David Gary Lloyd. Image courtesy of artist Morel Doucet and Galerie Myrtis.

The design on the busts represents three fractions of colorism: The dandelion as a flower doesn’t have free-will; instead, it is directed by the wind and the fates of time. The Brown bust figurine in “Skin Congregate on Every Mountain” represents the displacement and mobility of brown and black communities from the threat of climate-gentrification and development; like the dandelion, these communities are guided to where they can survive. The Colbert blue flowers in the set represent class and privilege; blue is one of the most highly prized and sought-after of the color spectrum. Its rarity and the laborious process often used to extract and create the colour, secured its place in the homes of Royals, Emperors and Wealthy. The cherry blossom flowers in the set represent the transience of life, fragility, and beauty that span all communities of color across the globe.

Morel Doucet

Statement

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