Congratulations to Joel Gaitan opening today in Paris lefebvreetfils! Thank you Louis! While celebrating life, death, and the afterlife, the work of American–Nicaraguan artist Joel Gaitan delves into themes of identity, sexuality, and ancestral lineage. From forgotten languages to erased cultures, he immerses himself in traditional clay hand-building techniques, carrying forward a sacred Nicaraguan and Central American tradition within a post-colonial world. Raised in a Pentecostal environment, Gaitan still carries with him the music, the verses, and the Holy Spirit—yet reinterpreted through his own lens. Through ceramics and other media, he illuminates Nicaraguan life and aesthetics, creating portraits that blend poetry, color, and narrative. Each piece is conceived by Gaitan as an offering to his ancestors: those he has known and those he has never met. Joel Gaitan completed a three-month residency in Versailles as part of The Residency, a program launched by Galerie Lefebvre & ...