Erlin Adones Geffrard (born November 14, 1987) is an American multimedia visual artist, and musician. He is based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
Early life and education
Geffrard is originally from
Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...
, and of Haitian descent. He studied painting and design at
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...
; before earning an M.F.A. degree at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
.
He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.
Work
Primarily an
installation artist
Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...
and activating his pieces through participation by the visitor and sound, Geffrard originally worked under the alias, Kreyola Kid, as a performance artist. He was influenced by the idea of "refugee" running throughout his work and life; his Haitian origin and family, upbringing in Florida and the
underground culture
Underground culture, or simply underground, is a term to describe various alternative cultures which either consider themselves different from the mainstream of society and culture, or are considered so by others. The word "underground" is used ...
in the Bay Area. His work concerns the overlap of fine arts, commercial hip hop culture, and issues of class, race, place, gender, and religion through subject matter and material.
Exhibitions and collections
As part of Philadelphia Contemporary's 2018 Festival for the People, Geffrard created banners, reminiscent of Haitian vodou flags, that were each dedicated to a different neighborhood in Philly. The exhibition also included works by artists
Michel Auder
Michel may refer to:
* Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name)
* Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers)
* Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...
,
Mel Chin
Mel Chin (born 1951 in Houston, Texas, USA) is a conceptual art, conceptual visual artist. Motivated largely by political, cultural, and social circumstances, Chin works in a variety of art media to calculate meaning in modern life. Chin places art ...
Luggage Store Gallery
The Luggage Store Gallery, also known as 509 Cultural Center, is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts organization founded in 1987, and has two venues located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The organization has spon ...
, the
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome.
The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
History
In 1893, a group of American architects, ...
, the David Nolan Gallery,
Humboldt State University
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...
, and
New Image Art
New Image Art is an art gallery in West Hollywood, California. It was founded and is directed by Marsea Goldberg, started in 1994.