Biography

Jean-Jacques Stephen Alexis

JanJak II, is a curator, an artist and a writer, the son of acclaimed Haitian novelist Jacques Stephen Alexis. ,JanJak has played with colors since he was six years old and becoming an artist was written in the sand.

He first began creating art as a student at Poto-Mitan, the famed art school of Saint Soleil’s Founder: Haitian master Jean Claude Garoute, there he studied various art forms via the artistic rotation cycle with Ti Ga, Frido and Patrick Vilaire. He spent a summer at the Musée de L’art Haitien under Pierre Monosier, working with world known artists such as Raymond Olivier, Rose Marie Desruisseau and Antonio Joseph. Francine Murat, a family friend, took him regularly to the Centre D’art where again he was exposed to the magic of voodoo art and the marvelous colors of Caribbean art.

After relocating to Washington DC in 1982, he met Yankel Ginzburg, working in his studio for a short summer assignment, it is where he was first attracted to Modern Art. JanJak II, has been around art for most of his life, as a cultural attaché at the Haitian embassy in Washington DC, he curated many Art exhibits. In 1998 while in Miami he Met Hervé Télemaque and once again found an immediate appeal to abstract art and Modern African Themes. JanJak II, a member of the InterfineArt Group,has been very active in the Florida art scene, often showing his work in various local shows and last year in the Dominican Republic. He has curated many exhibits promoting Haitian Art and Culture and currently lives in South Florida, where he continues to work as a curator presenting at least two shows every year.

A direct descendant of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, JanJak was named after his ancestor to honor his illustrious achievements defeating Napoleon and directing the first Successful Slave Revolt in the world. Very passionate about the rebirth of Haiti, JanJak has worked with many non-profit organizations including the “Fondation Jacques Stephen Alexis” to promote the renewal of Haiti aiming to return Haitian Art to its past Glory and further advance the Renaissance of Haitian Culture in general.