New exhibit at VCU’s Institute for Contemporary Art showcases Caribbean culture, diaspora

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has a new exhibition opening, which celebrates the Caribbean and its diaspora.

"Ayida" is a new group art exhibition at VCU's ICA, opening on Friday, June 27, and will remain on display until early 2026. The exhibition will feature the works of five early-to-midcareer artists highlighting Caribbean culture and its diaspora.

According to the ICA, "Ayida" is inspired by the life of Assotto Saint (1957-1994), a Haitian poet and prominent figure from New York's Black and gay writers movement during the 1980s.

The exhibition was curated by the New York-based writer Serubiri Moses, who, during his study at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, became interested in Saint's life and efforts of engaging in the community through creative works, including writing, editing, publishing and theater.

"I started to reflect on the idea of who Saint was prior to his migration to New York,” Moses said. “From the manuscripts of his plays and poetry, I could tell that Haiti and especially African diaspora religions, including Vodou, took up a significant part of his thinking and writing, in which he often evoked – literally or metaphorically – deities such as Ayida-Wedo."

The exhibition's focus is on blending different cultures and religions, prompting visitors to explore the spiritual and cultural aspects of Haiti, Dominican Republic and other Caribbean sites through special archives, photography, sculptures and printmaking.

“The focus on place or diaspora in this exhibition is a way of showing how the Dominican Republic and Haiti have a profound impact on the work of Black artists working today,” Moses said. 

"Ayida" will include contributed from five multidisciplinary artists -- Lizania Cruz, Oletha DeVane, Thomas Allen Harris, mujero and and Didier William -- whose work is rooted in similar themes as those found Saint's work like spirituality, religions of the Afro-diaspora, Black, queer, Caribbean identification and others.

“I hope that visitors will become aware of how ritual takes place on a day-to-day basis quite outside and far beyond organized religion," Moses said. "I hope viewers will learn more concretely about the different intellectual traditions that shape the Caribbean and how this impacts American art.” 

For more information about the ICA at VCU, visit the website.