Tourist Art

By Gabrielle Civil

Combining original poetry, drawings and watercolors, Tourist Art addresses Haitian art, tourism, border relations, commercialization, and the global art market. Created by two Haitian diasporic artists, the book highlights multiple ironies: how Haitian tourist art is produced in Haiti, a place with virtually no tourists; how it is the shadow of a rich, Haitian fine art tradition collected around the world; and, how Haitian tourist souvenirs are exported and sold in high volume, largely outside of Haiti itself."tourist art is always selling time.wood carvings, figurines, postcards of sans souci. in santo domingo, viejo san juan, nassau, brooklyn,miami, detroit, in holes in the wall.tourist art by haitians doesn't need haitians at all."Carefully designed, each page of the book offers iconic, Haitian images (market women with baskets, vodou spirits, historical figures), juxtaposed with pop images of globalization (tour guide badges, McDonald's French fries, a do-not-enter sign.) Ultimately, the poem reveals how Haitian art receives more mobility and access than Haitian people."take the art tour. to jacmel air stream to boston donkey hoof to port-au-prince shark raft to montreal cracked foot to cap haiten tap tap to brooklyn aux cayes dark limousinevisato miami shot to croix-des-bouquets returntracery of tourist art itinerary en route"Exploring cultural authenticity and commerce, Tourist Art is the only fine artist book in the Haitian diaspora to tackle high and low culture in art. Its production through print-on-demand technology underlines this concept. The book's rich language and dazzling illustrations are overall a stunning achievement.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1463526253
• ISBN13: 9781463526252
• Release Date: October 2012
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 54 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 0.1" x 8.3"