Hannah Traore Gallery is pleased to present Aleluya, a solo exhibition by Jose Duran. Across two series of paintings, Duran weaves opulent interiors with vibrant tropical botanicals to uncover the stories of the Caribbean under colonialism. The Dominican artist’s practice is informed by his multidisciplinary background in painting, design, and sculpture, as well as a commitment to historical research. This dazzling body of work invites viewers into Duran’s vivid imagination where fantasy and history convene.
Duran’s sumptuous works tactfully and beautifully engage with colonial history and the African diaspora, particularly within the Caribbean. Aleluya presents two interconnected bodies of work, the first a series of paintings inspired by Cuban Rococo architecture and interior design. His ornate scenes are set in 19th century salons and mansions, which were built by colonial elites who fled Haiti for Cuba after the Haitian Revolution. It was a period of nascent prosperity for a continent whose wealth was growing due to the resources pillaged from the slave trade. Duran’s depictions of these lavish interiors are often named after Black female figures, centering them to reclaim the spaces indebted to their labor. With these divine reversals, Duran grants the fruits of colonial beauty to the Caribbean people who sustained them. A core inspiration in foregrounding feminine characters in these works is Duran’s late mother, who took great pleasure in maintaining a meticulously kept and decorated home, covering beds in faux satin sheets and draping windows with palatial curtains.
The second series of smaller scale works are inspired by an investigation into Paula de Eguiluz, a 17th century slave from modern-day Santo Domingo infamous for her powers of seduction through “love attraction plants.” Built upon 15 years of research into the medicinal, poisonous, and seductive plants used by enslaved and native women in the Caribbean, Duran was compelled to honor Eguiluz—who adopted Aleluya as her chosen name—after a 2024 visit to the Palace of the Inquisition in Cartagena where she was put on trial for witchcraft. The resulting floral paintings are luscious vignettes of feminine power, desire, and survival.
Duran’s tropical dreamscapes present a resplendent reversal of Afro-Caribbean history. It is a poised and graceful reclamation, a heartfelt celebration of cultural resilience. More than that, his works are odes to the beloved woman who inspired him from birth. Duran’s late mother was a trusted friend, advisor, and unofficial therapist to countless neighborhood friends in the Bronx, and earlier in Duran’s childhood, in the Dominican Republic. She was a hairstylist working from her home, which was always brimming with clients. She delighted in hosting soirees, enchanting guests with jokes and stories even when hard at work. Duran dreamed of someday buying her a new home in New York, and when she passed, he turned to painting to help him heal. Aleluya, Duran’s latest exhibition, is a testament to the artist’s work, personal and painterly, of that healing; and of envisioning the places, warm and bright, where we nurture our brilliance.
Hannah Traore Gallery is pleased to present Aleluya, a solo exhibition by Jose Duran. Across two series of paintings, Duran weaves opulent interiors with vibrant tropical botanicals to uncover the stories of the Caribbean under colonialism. The Dominican artist’s practice is informed by his multidisciplinary background in painting, design, and sculpture, as well as a commitment to historical research. This dazzling body of work invites viewers into Duran’s vivid imagination where fantasy and history convene.
Duran’s sumptuous works tactfully and beautifully engage with colonial history and the African diaspora, particularly within the Caribbean. Aleluya presents two interconnected bodies of work, the first a series of paintings inspired by Cuban Rococo architecture and interior design. His ornate scenes are set in 19th century salons and mansions, which were built by colonial elites who fled Haiti for Cuba after the Haitian Revolution. It was a period of nascent prosperity for a continent whose wealth was growing due to the resources pillaged from the slave trade. Duran’s depictions of these lavish interiors are often named after Black female figures, centering them to reclaim the spaces indebted to their labor. With these divine reversals, Duran grants the fruits of colonial beauty to the Caribbean people who sustained them. A core inspiration in foregrounding feminine characters in these works is Duran’s late mother, who took great pleasure in maintaining a meticulously kept and decorated home, covering beds in faux satin sheets and draping windows with palatial curtains.
The second series of smaller scale works are inspired by an investigation into Paula de Eguiluz, a 17th century slave from modern-day Santo Domingo infamous for her powers of seduction through “love attraction plants.” Built upon 15 years of research into the medicinal, poisonous, and seductive plants used by enslaved and native women in the Caribbean, Duran was compelled to honor Eguiluz—who adopted Aleluya as her chosen name—after a 2024 visit to the Palace of the Inquisition in Cartagena where she was put on trial for witchcraft. The resulting floral paintings are luscious vignettes of feminine power, desire, and survival.
Duran’s tropical dreamscapes present a resplendent reversal of Afro-Caribbean history. It is a poised and graceful reclamation, a heartfelt celebration of cultural resilience. More than that, his works are odes to the beloved woman who inspired him from birth. Duran’s late mother was a trusted friend, advisor, and unofficial therapist to countless neighborhood friends in the Bronx, and earlier in Duran’s childhood, in the Dominican Republic. She was a hairstylist working from her home, which was always brimming with clients. She delighted in hosting soirees, enchanting guests with jokes and stories even when hard at work. Duran dreamed of someday buying her a new home in New York, and when she passed, he turned to painting to help him heal. Aleluya, Duran’s latest exhibition, is a testament to the artist’s work, personal and painterly, of that healing; and of envisioning the places, warm and bright, where we nurture our brilliance.
