Balon, 2016

Steven Baboun is an artist, photographer, and creative director from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, based in New York City. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Arts and a minor in Education Studies from American University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Photography from Parsons School of Design. Baboun works in photography, video, performance, textile + multimedia installation, and design. He has exhibited work in spaces such as the Bronx Museum, Contemporary L in Seoul, South Korea, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), La MaMa Galleria, PhotoVille, Heath Gallery, and Museum Belvédère in the Netherlands, to name a few.
Baboun is the founder and creative director of Studio Baboun, a creative house based in Brooklyn, New York. He is also the CEO and co-founder of NativRoots, a creative agency specializing in visual production and solutions across entertainment, nonprofits, live experiences, and businesses. Currently, he is working on his new film FASAFAS as a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) grantee. The film is set to release in early 2026.

Artist Statement:
I am a multidisciplinary artist known for blending textile installations with photography and site-specific activations. My work creates dreamlike portraits of the Haitian community - honoring our identity, history, and culture by presenting us as monuments. Rooted in the act of world-making, my subjects often appear "nan rèv" ("in a dream" in Haitian Kreyòl), reflecting my belief that dreams are a space to reimagine who we are and what we can become. My practice draws on Haitian Vodou, using fabric, weaving, and symbolic connections to embody the presence of the Lwa (spirits).
As a queer Haitian with Syrian and Palestinian roots, I explore my multicultural heritage while working in solidarity with underrepresented communities, including Haitian Vodou practitioners, queer Haitians, and Haitian Muslims.
Through photography, video, performance, installation, and design, I examine themes of identity, politics, culture, human rights, and intimacy. My goal is to celebrate Haiti’s beauty and complexity while subverting the dominant narratives that often define us.