WE ARE HERE

Kanaval by Leah Gordon
Here Press
November 2021Selected by TANK

Originally published in 2010, this revised and expanded second edition documents carnival time on the streets of Jacmel, a port in Haiti, through medium-format photographs, oral histories and texts. Gordon’s black-and-white photographs of satin-clad devils, horned faceless figures, giant papier-mâché skulls, shining black and chalked-white skin tell a story with a wide cast of characters from Vodou culture, Haitian history, personal memory and political satire. The 30 accompanying oral histories from carnival participants add an intimate insight into the people behind the masks, and the practicalities and rituals of transforming into these vibrant troupes.