Page 112 - CNM_AUGUST_13TH_2012._Neat

C N M
A R T

A S S E R S A I N T - V A L

The Melanin Project for Asser Saint-Val, explorations
of identity lead to a focus on differences beneath the skin.
The Haitian-born artist began a lengthy investigation of
the pigment that distinguishes diverse ethnic groups from
each other. (In the course of my search for my own iden-
tity, the issue of melanin is continually surfacing. This
recent body of work is an attempt to express this phe-
nomenon and the role it plays amongst people of African
descent,) he explains. Melanin is the biological pigment
that gives human skin and hair its color. Saint-Val, who
is interested in the way science and biology have been
used to justify perceptions about people of color, studied
(the phenomenon of melanin) and its role in people of all
races. His findings became a series of paintings - part figu-
rative, part biological and all personal.
Saint-Val and his family moved to South Florida when he
was 14. He knew not a word of English. But his mother,
Salamie Saint-Val, wanted him to have a better life in the
United States. So they came. Today he creates and exhib-
its his beautiful artwork for the world to admire.

112 CNM | CARIBBEANNETWORKMAGAZINE.COM