Haiti's Hand-Painted Winter Olympics Uniforms Are a 'Story of Resistance' | Artnet News

"Just weeks before the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan on February 6, Olympic officials blocked Haiti's plan to feature a painting of revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture on its team uniforms, prompting a race against time that culminated in a radically altered, hand-painted redesign-the first in the games' 100-year history. The Louverture painting featured on the uniforms is by Haitian-born, American artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. He is currently preparing to represent Haiti at this year's Venice Biennale, according to the Miami Herald, an event often dubbed "the art world Olympics.""

"When coming up with her design for the uniforms of Haiti's two-person Winter Olympics team, Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean chose to recreate Duval-Carrié's lively contemporary portrait of Louverture on horseback. The 2006 painting, which she believes captures "the Haitian spirit," shows a smartly-dressed, barefoot Louverture riding a red horse and holding up a snake in place of a sword. In Haiti's Voodoo tradition, the snake refers to the great spirit Damballa, a symbol of wisdom, patience, and peace."

"But on January 4, just one month before the games were due to begin, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) ruled that the image is a violation of its rule against the use of political propaganda on uniforms. Scrambling for a solution, Jean enlisted the help of a team of artisans at her studio in Rome to adapt the uniform, removing Louverture and the snake but keeping the verdant scenery and charging horse. She believes the image is now more powerful than ever."

Haiti planned to feature Edouard Duval-Carrié's portrait of Toussaint Louverture on its Winter Olympics team uniforms, but the IOC ruled the image violated rules against political propaganda. The original painting depicts a barefoot Louverture on a red horse holding a snake linked to the Voodoo spirit Damballa, symbolizing wisdom and peace. Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean recreated the portrait for the two-person team. After the IOC decision on January 4, Jean and artisans in Rome removed Louverture and the snake while keeping the verdant scenery and charging horse, producing a hand-painted redesign that drew global attention.

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