La Sirèn: Beads, Flags, and the Mermaid Spirit

This exhibition features two Haitian artists united by their devotion to La Sirèn, the Vodou mermaid spirit of the sea. At its heart is Valris, a master of the beaded drapo Vodou. His shimmering creations use glass beads and sequins to evoke La Sirèn’s dual nature: the seductive glint of the ocean’s surface and the profound mysteries lurking beneath.

Across from Valris’s flags, the second artist—signing simply as “Gerard”—offers a complementary vision rooted in naive painting. Known formally as Gerard Fortune, he is celebrated for works such as “Sirenes / Mermaids” (ca. 2000), a vivid scene of mermaids as dreamers immersed in an undersea realm rich with romance and treasure Myriam Nader Haitian
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Together, their art conveys La Sirèn not merely as a mythic figure but as a living symbol: a melding of ritual craftsmanship and vernacular painting that stirs questions of identity, spirituality, and creative tradition.