Product Description
Handcrafted Haitian Decor, Tap Tap Bus, Sustainable Fair Trade Art 23x23in
Struggles of Daily Life in Haiti CNN's "Amanpour." "The aid is coming now and getting to the Port-au-Prince airport. And it's not getting out, because of the road system."
Public transportation, as it is understood in the United States, does not exist in Haiti. Most Haitians travel by private car, by bicycle, or on foot. There are about 36 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants. The systemroad consists mainly of unmarked and unpaved roads.
What is a tap-tap? Haitian mass transit! A tap-tap could be a van, pick-up truck, small or full-sized bus, or even a cargo truck. The tap-tap has evolved as a major part of Haitian culture as well as being central to their transportation system. Each tap-tap is brightly painted and each tells its own unique story.
The name simply came from the directions of the customer. You simply “tap tap” on the vehicle to let the driver know you want him to stop and let you off. The fancy paint job, however, is another story. During the reign of Duvailier there was actually a law again “ugly” vehicles. (This law is still on the books by the way.)
Artist Bio
Jean Eugene Remy
With a distinctive style and innovative capacity that doesn't quit, Jean Eugene Remy is definately an artist on the rise. He makes great use of three dimensional imagery and his sculptures are filled with action and detail.
Born in 1984 in Port-au-Prince, his mother was already a widow with 3 small boys to feed. At the age of six, he began working “the iron cut for people,” eventually apprenticing in the workshop of Julio Balan.
He remembers his very first sale with fondness and pride: a voodoo piece, sold to a German customer for $30. (US) Though he is Catholic, it is not uncommon in Haiti to blend Catholic and Voodoo practices and symbolism.
The two are quite compatible in the traditional Haitian view. In 2009, he participated in a “Sirena” exhibition in the Dominican Republic and two years later, travelled to Eaton, Florida as a guest artist. There he demonstrated his craft at the “Zora!” Festival of Arts and Humanities, where the theme for the year was "Remembering Haiti."
Jean Eugene has a vision of art as his life’s work. It is his clearly passion. He says, “I dream of having a golden hammer and making my coffin in a beautiful work of iron."
