Crucified Liberty, Ulrick Jean-Pierre

In Crucified Liberty, Jean-Pierre borrows iconography from Christianity to personify his beloved country Haiti as a persecuted, but nonetheless nurturing woman. Here, the cross symbolizes the fraught and complex geopolitics of a world born from colonialism—one that has witnessed slavery, genocide, greed, brutality, and exploitation. Yet this painting also communicates Jean-Pierre’s optimism and hope for his country and its people. In an interview with 2018 KU Common Book author Edwidge Danticat, Jean-Pierre further explained this concept:
Danticat: There are…rainbows, angels, and children [in this work]. With all the echoes of the past that haunt us, there is still a future to tend to. There are the children to think about. We can never forget them. Is that all part of your broad and complex view of Haiti?
Jean-Pierre: Yes—depictions of children and a sense of hope captured in my paintings are a reflection from the mirrors of our past reality, which in turn reflect an essence of hope through my optimism for a better tomorrow in Haiti.