Haitian architect Hervé Sabin named Loewe craft prize finalist

Spanish luxury brand Loewe hosts an annual international award recognizing excellence in craftsmanship. Now in its ninth year, the Loewe Craft Prize drew more than 5,100 submissions. Thirty finalists were selected, with one winner to receive 50,000 €. The winner will be announced May 12. Finalists’ work will be exhibited in Singapore from May 13 to June 14.

Hervé Sabin, a Haitian architect, craftsman and designer, is the only Caribbean finalist this year. For this project, he moves between Port-au-Prince and Miami, continuing to produce new work, including the piece he submitted to the competition.

Sabin, who lived in New York City for 21 years before returning to Haiti, said his work is shaped by a life between places. He left Haiti in the aftermath of Jean-Claude Duvalier’s ousting and always planned to return. His work explores how people occupy space in new countries, how they adapt and how that process shapes identity, often centering on what he calls “the chronic immigrant disease” of nostalgia.

He spoke with The Haitian Times about his piece, Sevi Te, and the ideas shaping his practice.

The Haitian Times: How does it feel to be selected as a finalist?

Hervé Sabin: It’s a bit surreal because of what it implicates. It’s one of those things, you wonder if it’s going to happen or not going to happen. I submitted it three or four years ago, but I didn’t hear from them. This year I applied again and it worked out. 

THT: What does this recognition mean for you?

Sabin: It means a bit of affirmation of the kind of path [I’m] on. You don’t need anyone to validate your work. But, it’s a bit of validation in a way because it is one of the most prestigious prizes in the world of craft and art. So, to be a part of that alumni, it’s a big thing. In this lot, if you look at the work of the other 29 artists, it just blows you away. The quality and the creativity that’s amongst them, it’s just really amazing. It gives you more energy and more impetus to make more work of high caliber. It means I have more work in front of me.

THT: Can you describe the piece you submitted and its meaning?

Sabin: Sevi Te is a series of sculptures, bowls that are a part of an offering service. It has both physical and spiritual connotations. It’s ceremonial in that you can put food or other offerings and it becomes a part of your altar or your spiritual routine. 

It’s also a connection to my family, who are immigrants along the East Coast and in Haiti. I travel between Port-au-Prince, Miami, New York and Montreal, and every trip is an act of service. The pieces are made from wood found in their yards or nearby. Each piece is titled with the ZIP code where the wood is found or where the family member lives.

The other aspect of Sevi Te is, if you look at the word itself, in combination, it means “the servant”. In the Vodou practice, sevi te is the one who serves the spirits. But if you look at the two separate words, it gives you an idea about serving the land, serving the earth, serving Haiti. 

THT: Are those three things separate or do they work together? 

Sabin: They work together. I can’t separate myself from them, and I can’t separate them from me. I can’t sever myself from my family no matter how many times you might want to. I can’t sever myself from Haiti, I can’t sever myself from the spirits who are looking out for me and who are a part of my lineage. 

THT: What did you submit to the competition?

Sabin: I submitted a bwa kenep from my neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. I usually don’t work on these pieces right away. They get beaten by the sun, by the rain. The termites do their own work before I even start. I start and then I follow their path. 

There are other connections to the larger elements of fire, sun, and the earth. I decided to carve long-ways which is unusual in a sense. Architecturally, I look at it as a vessel, similar to the way a building is a vessel, for offering. 

THT: What guides your decisions in shaping the material?

Sabin: Naturally, when you let the material sit, it tells you how it wants to be. Some decisions you don’t make on your own. The material pushes you in a direction. There’s a level of reconciliation between its wishes and yours.

THT: How do you parse apart the technical from the spiritual?

Sabin: That is within me. It solely depends on my own wishes and the energies that are moving through me as a maker and my guidance. I can take the chisel and start carving one way and then something else that says, ‘do it this way instead.’ I can start carving one way and then the grain of the wood isn’t moving in the way my hands are moving, so I have to change directions. Subtle things here and there that have a high impact on the outcome of the work before it gets to its final stages. As a maker, you have to be open to receiving that guidance. The material itself has its own story and its own history to tell. 

THT: How long is the process? 

Sabin: You have no control of that process. Sometimes, it’s just time. It just comes at you. It is a very collaborative approach. There’s a dialogue that takes place between the material, myself and everything that has been infused in me along my path.

THT: What happens next in the competition?

Sabin: A jury of experts in craft, design and architecture selects the winner. There’s also an exhibition in Singapore. In addition to the winner, there are two special mentions. The program also provides visibility — connecting you with collectors and institutions. That support helps people see that your work matters.

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