Frantz Zephirin Bio
Frantz Zephirin (b. 1968) Frantz Zephirin (b. 1968) is one of the most recognizable contemporary visionary Haitian painters working today. As a toddler he watched his uncle, the painter Antoine Obin, as he worked and by the age of 7, Frantz was making his own paintings of colonial homes that line Cap-Haitien's coast. Swiftly diverging from the traditional Cap Haitian style, Zephirin developed a highly original approach, infusing his art with themes ranging from politics to social dynamics and Vodou spirituality. His works pulsate with vibrant compositions, brimming with anthropomorphic animal imagery, intricate patterns, and vivid colors. Drawing inspiration from Christian and modern Vodou practices, Zephirin's art serves as a visual tapestry of Haiti's rich spiritual heritage. In 1996 he won a gold medal in the Third Biennial of Caribbean and Central American Painting at the Museum of Modern Art in the Dominican Republic. That same year, he was one of five Haitians selected for the 5th Cuenca Biennial in Ecuador. In 1997 and 1998, two of Zephirin’s paintings toured the United States in the landmark exhibition Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, organized by UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History, with subsequent presentations in Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, [...]