Sagren-the creole term used to describe the profound sorrow and longing for a denied homeland.

Sagren in my terms-I can’t imagine what the true feeling must feel like.  I suppose if I substituted homeland for something that is more personal to me such as my daughter, then I could start to imagine the profound sorrows of what a void that must feel like.  To feel that you are exiled from something or someone that you belong to rightfully, would create a longing for what is missing.  I hate to think of this, but if my daughter was taken from me by the courts and they said I had no rights to her…I would be crushed. I can definitely feel my breath being taken away from me just thinking of it. If this is anything like the sagren Clement is feeling, then I totally get it.

 

I felt that the elements of this piece were of a specific memory. This painting captures a lesser essence of the hard work and commerce portrayed in the other paintings, yet they are still working casually, playfully, and taking much pride in their land and ownership.  It portrays a lot of love for their land, community, and culture. I noticed that this painting was of a much larger scale then the others on display.  It made me think that he was purposely trying to recreate something life-sized to make it more real.

How do these works function as:

1)ART-colorful and well illustrated. Consistency tells a story.

2)PERSONAL DOCUMENTS-created through experience and memory

3)HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS-perhaps photography wasn’t available so these paintings serve as a substitute

4)POLITICAL DOCUMENTS-perhaps these portrayals are inaccurate and purposely so

Through Siatous’s “performing identity” by plumbing through memories and filling inaccurate memories with inventions, how do these inventions affect the success of the works through:

1)ART-the ability to invent something that fills the memory gaps and paint it into the picture as if it were most convincing.  So convincing in fact that the both the viewer and artist make it come to life

2)PERSONAL DOCUMENTS-I think he painted his memories without any intent to distort. Our memories change over time, and so do our truths. I think perhaps this is just an effect of time and not his intentions to invent spaces to fill these voids. It just dawned on me that maybe he doesn’t have a clear memory of it at all. What if he was a newborn when he was taken away and these paintings are just his imagination of what his home would be like. That would make sense.

3)HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS-probably muffled since times change and so does memory. He painted over several decades so of course they would be inaccurate. Especially if he was painting things that didn’t exist, and he was inventing spaces to complete his memory.

The importance I think, of putting on exhibits like this is because it challenges the accuracy of storytelling. These paintings, I presume, are very accurate to the artist himself. They may not be accurate at all. But we the viewers are convinced of this storytelling through his paintings and illustrations and the consistency of his subject matter.