A Timely Rescue, 2019

Oil on canvas
© Naudline Pierre; courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photo by Paul Takeuchi.

Of Haitian extraction, the Brooklyn-­based artist Naudline Pierre was raised in a spiritual household—her father is a pastor—and she attributes some of her visual language to her upbringing. “I grew up learning about the Biblical apocalypse, about visions, prophets, signs, and symbols,” she explains. “The images around me were fantastical and even scary sometimes. Growing up in church, I saw really vivid events like my father and the church elders casting out demons. It was a colorful place for my imagination—full of fear, longing, and miracles—to take shape. I’m very grateful for my upbringing, experiences and influences.”