Researcher in Residence Titi de Baccarat brings light as he shares his culture

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freemexy

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Artist Titi de Baccarat leaves exhausted but focused after his month-long residency at the Innovative Media Research and
Commercialization Center (IMRC).This opened up lots of possibilities. I
had twenty-four hour access to the facilities without pressure and a
collaborative atmosphere, he explains.De Baccarat hands over a 3D
printed set of ears exact replicas from the Intermedia Program graduate
student who helped him with the equipment to prove the collaborative
nature of the Researcher in Residence program. ?????

The result of his focus is a new collection of almost two dozen sculptures that have emerged as figurative extensions of how he sees
human potential. Through these colorful works, de Baccarat wants to
bring attention to issues such as justice and privilege.Often working
with found and recycled objects, he incorporates bottles with various
metal and carved wooden elements.


I like the idea that a bottle can be opened or closed, filled or empty. Some bottles are transparent and let light through, and a bottle
is both resistant and fragile like human life, he explains. Like
bottles, we have the choice to open our lives to others, to fill our
hearts with love and compassion.De Baccarat's hope for compassion is
rooted in his experiences coming to America as an immigrant. He arrived
in New York from Gabon in 2014 where he immediately felt overwhelmed.
Afraid and penniless, he met a kind church member who offered him a
place to stay in Providence, Rhode Island. Though it was an improvement,
he spent the next three months trying to find a place he could really
call home.


Finding a new community that would welcome him as an immigrant without money or connections was difficult. De Baccarat decided to
settle in Portland, Maine in early 2015, a city with a strong sense of
community and resources to help him navigate his new life in America.As
he tackles the challenges of living in a new country, he faces the usual
difficulties every artist has to support himself while continuing to
produce artwork. Balancing artists residencies while finding steady
income can be a challenge.


Through all of this he has emerged as a rising star in the Portland art scene. In 2018, de Baccarat had a solo exhibition at Berwick
Academy, titled True Me in My Community in the school's Jackson Library
Gallery, and a show in Railroad Square's Art in the Lobby show, as part
of the statewide initiative Making Migration Visible: , and Pathways and
has given numerous talks around Maine.Traces and Tracks

Posted 26 Apr 2019

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