Light of the spirit

the long version

Once little known outside of Haiti, Vodou flags (drapo Vodou), dazzling in color and imagery, have become popular commodities in the international art market. Works by such notable Haitian artists as Silva Joseph, Antoine Oleyant, and Yves Telemak now grace the walls of museums, art galleries, and private homes throughout the world. In showcasing Vodou flags and the artists who create them, this book also offers a striking revelation of the gods (lwa) that inhabit the Vodou spirit world. Inspired by myths, legends, and unique personal visions, the artists of Vodou flags interweave sacred, time-honored designs with contemporary images as they produce these captivating works. Their flags, incorporating ritual drawings, Masonic symbols, and pictures of mermaids and Catholic saints, offer viewers an encounter with the aesthetics, symbolism, and social implications of Vodou. This spiritual realm reflected in the flags is not the dark, frightening place of black magic and superstition so often stereotyped in popular culture. Instead, drapo exemplify the beauty, elegance, and enduring embrace of gods and ancestors in their present manifestations. The flags are artists' visual testimonials that the lwa are present and active in the lives of Vodou practitioners.