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We are delighted to invite festivalgoers to the CaribArte2026 Visual Arts Encounters, dedicated to fashion and the world of the Gede divinities, at the premises of MAI (Montreal Arts Interculturels). Within the Haïtian and Beninese Vodou pantheon, the Gede constitute a formidable family of loas associated with sexuality, humor, and renewal. Numbering 117 in all, they wield absolute authority over the realm of the dead.

The exhibition ERITAJ situates itself at the threshold of human territories, offering a conceptual journey into the afterlife. Conceived by designer Maëlle Figaro David, the sumptuous garments and accessories dedicated to the Gede are presented within a museum-caliber, three-dimensional environment punctuated by photographs, sculptures, and tapestries.

Drawing upon the poetic potential of fashion design, ERITAJ engages Vodou mythology to explore the process of transition from this life to the next through the fertility-mortality paradox embodied by the Gede family. Beneath a veil of apparent sensuality, the principal Gede figures linger within a shadowed corridor, awaiting the opportunity to accompany the living of today toward their final destination.