JESS TODD STUDIO

Asser Saint-Val | Artist Statement

Asser Saint-Val is interested in Neuromelanin as it relates to spirituality and self-consciousness and he explores these ideas through paintings, sculptures, and multi-sensory art installations. His works are quasi-figurative and ambiguous, and bring together ideas central to modern debates about Neuromelanin. His environments are surreal, encompassing themes such as under-recognized African American inventors, the politics of sexual desire, and the complex aesthetics, narratives, and metaphors that attach to organic substance.

Neuromelanin is a pigment found specifically in the dopaminergic neurons of the human substantia-nigra (dark-substance) in the base of the brain. Neuromelanin is secreted by the pineal gland, a part of the brain that is believed to play a significant role in human spirituality. French philosopher and mathematician, Rene Descartes (1596-1695), stated, “The pineal gland is the principal seat of the Soul and the place in which all our thoughts are formed.” Contemporary psychiatrist, historian, and melanin/pineal gland scholar Dr. Richard King (1946-2013) wrote, “On a philosophical plane, Neuromelanin is the biological doorway through which the life force of African spirituality passes in moving from the spirit to the material realm.”

Saint-Val’s work has recently turned to multi-sensory, interactive art installations including immersive sound, aromas, and food. He aims to activate the audience’s imagination through the senses, tapping into the deepest parts of their subconscious mind through imagination and meditation. This period in his work has expanded his consciousness both socially and spiritually. The impact the work has had on viewers has been described as an experience of magical transformation and self-awareness. He believes the spiritual nature of Neuromelanin and its abilities to connect us to our higher being is a universal curiosity that connects us as human beings.

Asser Saint-Val was born in Haiti and moved to south Florida in 1988 in his teens; he currently lives in Miami, Florida. He earned BFAs in Painting and Graphic Design from the New World School of the Arts. He was awarded the South Florida Cultural Consortium Award twice and received the Artist Access Grant and The Diaspora Vibe Cultural Incubator grant, which allowed him to complete a month-long artist residency program in Santiago de Cuba. He is the founder and artistic director of Art in the Sky project, a series of multi-sensory interactive public art installations in Miami Dade County with support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and the Board of County Commissioners. 

Instagram @asser_saintval

Web www.assersaintvl.com