GENEVIEVE LAHENS ESPER

Iris studied architecture at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. She began to paint in her country of origin, Haiti, and was quickly called upon to represent it on the international scene, notably in 1996, in Miami, Florida, at the Art America exhibition. The success of this exhibition opened the doors of galleries to her in Florida, with solo exhibitions at the Ryals Gallery in Boca Raton and in other spaces in Delray Beach, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

The year 2000 was a pivotal year in the development of her artistic career and also marked her arrival in Quebec. It is punctuated first by a major solo exhibition at the prestigious Port-au-Prince Art Center, then by an exhibition of 50 women from around the world at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Purchased by the organization, one of her works is on the cover of all UNIFEM (now UN Women) reports and documents for the year.

Since then, Iris has exhibited both in Quebec and Internationally: Annapolis (Maryland), Paris, New York, Washington, Valence, Beijing, Port-au-Prince and the West Indies. Her works are part of Museums and private Collections.

BACKGROUND

Genevieve Iris Esper is a Haitian Modernist who studied at L’Ecole Beaux Art in Paris and has an art degree in architecture. Iris did not begin painting until she was 33 and at 39 she is still called upon to execute the occasional structural design, but purely creative art is now her domain. The artist’s distinctive style shows architectural influences of Byzantine and medieval style, intricate geometric patterns and folk art symbols, these paintings all the while are executed in bold Haitian colors. Author, Marie Alice Theard explains in her book Haiti, la voie de nos silences, that Iris sets up correspondences with the compositions, decomposition, and re-compositions, naive or sophisticated, drawn from the abysses of vaudou. Her retina captures and transmits the signs, sacred symbols and forms of Taino heritage. She performs a descriptive execution of the western academic referrals. She also remembers Saint-Soleil. The heretic characters of her paintings, void of narrative content, give off the aspect of an Egyptian bas-relief. She has exhibited widely throughout Haiti, France, and Florida. Most recently, she has shown at the Espace Klee Gallery, Paris France, The United Nations, New York, and The Black Arts Festival in New York. This is her first exhibition in Washington, DC.

CV

ACADEMIC
1985 DPLG DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE
École des Beaux-Arts Paris

1981 B.SC. IN ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
Faculty of SciencesUniversité d’État d’Haïti, Port-au-Prince, Haiti

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
2013 Gemmail and stained glass
Atelier Lalande, Belves, France

2008 Collagraphy
Atelier circulaire de Montréal, Montreal

2001 Sculpture
Saidye Bronfman Centre, Montreal

AWARDS
Architectural Design, Caribbean Biennale of Architecture, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 1990Poster Design, Festival Vues d’Afrique, Montreal, 2011

PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS
1% for Art commission for the FOKAL building, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Stained-glass window for Saint-Martial church, Cazenac, France (with Atelier Lalande), 2012
Stained-glass window for Saint-Jean Baptiste church, Montplaisant, France (with Atelier Lalande), 2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2013 Artist residency, Dordogne, France
1996-2004After-school program art instructor, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2000-present Professional artist
1985-2000 Deputy manager and architect, Esper Architectes, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1985 Intern, Agence d’architecture Archipel, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe

HISTORY

1959 
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haïti

1981
Graduated in Engineering – Faculté des Sciences – Port-au-Prince, Haïti

1985

• Graduated in Architecture, DPLG – Ecole des Beaux Arts – Paris, France

• Training in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe – Agence d’architecture Archipel 1991

• Award of Design at The Caribbean Biennale of Architecture – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

• Embrace painting as a career

TRAINING

1985  
DPLG Degree in Architecture
École des Beaux-Arts, Paris (France)

1981  
B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering
Faculté des Sciences, Université d’état d’Haïti, Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

DEVELOPMENT

2013  
Gemmail and Stained Glass, Atelier Vitrail Lalande
Dordogne, (France)

September to November 2008  
Collagraphy Course – Atelier circulaire de Montréal
Montreal (Canada)

June to August 2001 
Sculpture Course – Centre Sayde Bronfman
Montreal (Canada)


RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS

PUBLICATIONS

AWARDS

EXHIBITIONS

2020
March  Exhibition, Biennial of Sacred Art, Collioure (France)
February  Exhibition, Salon des Indépendants, Grand Palais, Paris (France)

2019
November  Contemporary Art Fair, Fragmentation of the Air 2, Fort de France (Martinique)
September   Exhibition, George International Art Festival, Haegeumgang Theme Museum (South Korea)
September  Collective Exhibition, Cargo, Arsenec Gallery, Fort de France (Martinique)
April  ART EXPO New York, Pier 90, New York (United States)
March  Group Exhibition La Mystique de l’Art, Galerie Mona Lissa, Paris (France)
February  Exhibition Art Capital, Independent Trade Fair, Paris (France)

2018
Exhibition 5th Biennial of Sacred Art of Collioure

Group Exhibition Drawing Rooms, New Jersey (United States)

Group Exhibition, Musée des Maîtres et Artisans du Québec Montréal (Canada)

2017
Trans-Refractions Exhibition of Métis Souls “Galerie 24”
Beaubourg, Paris (France)

Duo Exhibition “La traversée”
Maison des Arts du Barcares, Languedoc Roussillon (France)

2016
Duo Exhibition “Messages from Nephillim”
Centre culturel du Portail haut, Rignac (France)

2015
Group Exhibition “Raconte-moi Haiti”
Centre d’Histoire de Montréal (Canada)

2013
January     Group Exhibition, Artifact Gallery, New York (United States)
March      Solo Exhibition, Villa Pacot, Port-au-Prince (Haïti)
July    Solo Exhibition, Viva Vida Gallery, Montreal (Canada)
September    Solo Exhibition, Espace Faubourg, Paris, (France)
December    Solo Exhibition, Artifact Gallery, New York (United States)

2012
Creation of a stained-Glass Window, in collaboration with the Master Glassmaker Lalande for the Church of Cazenac, Dordogne (France)

Group Exhibition “Raconte-moi Haïti”
Maison de la culture, North Montreal (Canada)

Solo Exhibition “Journées de la Culture”, Château de Bersaillin, Doubs (France)

2011
Group Exhibition ” L’art contre l’oubli ”
Centre culturel du lièvre d’or, Dreux (France)

Solo Exhibition ” Festival vues d’Afrique ”
Centre de créativité Le Gesu, Montreal (Quebec)

Collective Exhibition “In the Spirit”
Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC (United States)

2010
Solo Exhibition ” Répliques de couleurs et d’émotions ”
Espace Faubourg Galerie, Paris (France)

2009
Group Exhibition “Artistes à tous vents”
Centre culturel de Blavozy (France)

Group Exhibition “Toronto Art Expo”
Metro Toronto Convention Center – Ontario (Canada)

Group Exhibition “Petits Formats du Québec”
Galerie Desiris, Geneva (Switzerland)

2008
Group Exhibition, Art Contemporain d’Expression Sud (ACES)
Montreal, (Quebec)

Duo Exhibition, Conseil des Arts du Québec
Montreal, (Quebec)

2007
Group Exhibition “Apple II”
Color Elefante Gallery, Valencia (Spain)

Group Exhibition – Gallery, New York Arts, Beijing (China)

Group Exhibition – Broadway Gallery, New-York (United States)

Group Exhibition “Black Art Soho Festival”
New York (United States)

2006
Collective Exhibition ” Haïti, 200 ans d’histoire à partager”
Méandres de la mémoire – Tohu / Cité des arts du Cirque
Montreal (Canada)

Collective Exhibition “Fête de la Sculpture”
Institut Français d’Haïti, Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

Group Exhibition “Bridging Culture”
Banneker Douglas Museum, Maryland (United States)

2005
Collective Exhibition “Artiste en résidence” at Furcy
Galerie Marassa / Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

2004
Solo Exhibition – International Vision The Gallery
Washington DC (United States)

2003
Solo Exhibition – Galerie Espace Klee
Paris (France)

Collective Exhibition – Festival d’art contemporain
Martinique (France)

2002
Collective Exhibition – Black Art Festival
Soho, New-York (United States)

Solo Exhibition “Memory, Tradition, Emotion”, Paintings & Sculptures by Iris
United Nations, New-York (United States)

2001
Collective Exhibition “Black Art Festival”
Soho, New-York (United States)

Collective Exhibition “Haiti, génération, 2000”
Galerie Bourbon-Lally, Montreal (Canada)

Collective Exhibition “North Atlanta Trade Center / Folk Festival”
Atlanta (United States)

Solo Exhibition – Broward County Library
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (United States)

 2000
Solo Exhibition – “Art Expo Florida”
Coconut Grove Convention Center, Miami, Floride (United States)

Solo Exhibition – Le Centre d’Art
Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

UNIFEM Collective Exhibition (Exhibition within the framework of the Beijing Conference. More than 50 women from around the world have been selected for this event) United Nations, New York (United States)

Collective Exhibition “Mytos en El Caribe” Casa de Las Americas
La Habana (Cuba)

1998
Solo Exhibition – Ryals Gallery – Boca Raton
Florida (United States)

Permanent Exhibition – Haitian Art Collection – Delray Beach
Florida (United States)

Solo Exhibition – Art Frenzie – Fort Lauderdale
Florida (United States)

1998
Collective Exhibition – Milagro Center – Delray Beach
Florida (United States)

Solo Exhibition – Nation Bank Tower
Miami, Florida (United States)

1997
Group Exhibition – Art America – Miami Beach, Convention Center
Miami, Florida (United States)

Collective Exhibition “Indigo”
Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe)

1996
Collective Exhibition “Indigo”
Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe)

Solo Exhibition – Galerie Festival Arts
Pétion-Ville (Haïti)

Collective Exhibition – Musée du Panthéon National
Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

1995
Collective Exhibition – Ritz Hôtel
Pétion-Ville (Haïti)

1994
Exhibition on paper – Galerie Fanal
Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

Solo Exhibition – Peintures – Galerie Fanal
Port-au-Prince (Haïti)

1992
Solo Exhibition – Galerie Afrah
Thomassin (Haïti)