Imaginary Love

Artist Talk: This paper explores the world-making processes in the paintings of Haitian artist Préfète Duffaut (Inhabited Moons) and myself, Shantel Miller (Dwelling Place), examining their engagement with cultural contexts and religious cosmologies. Using formal and historical analysis, it investigates how their art reflects Afro-Caribbean epistemologies and spiritual practices, focusing on themes of belonging, identity, and transformation. The paper emphasizes Duffaut's reimagined Haitian landscapes and Miller's depiction of sacred communal spaces as acts of resistance and decolonial healing. By situating their works within broader Afro-Diasporic traditions, the paper highlights the potential of art to mediate between histories of loss and possibilities for hopeful futures.