Tomm El-Saieh creates vibrant abstract paintings informed by Haitian spiritual traditions in music, religion, and art. In a process that yields dynamic, nearly pulsating fields of color, he laboriously builds up and erases intricate lines, layering vivid paint over detailed mark-making. 

Mielo Cielo features horizontal bands of hazy pinks, yellows, and oranges, reminiscent of the colors and atmospheric effects of the sky at dawn or sunset. This celestial reference is reflected in the title of the painting which translates as “Honey Heaven.” Under the airbrushed layers of paint, elaborate lines intersect and extend over the entire canvas. The frenetic designs form a complex network, almost like a sprawling city seen from above through nebulous clouds or a constellation seen from the ground below. El-Saieh’s painting playfully engages the limits of perception, while exploring the meaning of abstraction. Although El-Saieh eschews a narrative tradition, his mark-making, patterns, and bright colors relate to the history of Haitian painting, while conveying a sense of rhythm through line and color to achieve a multisensory experience. 

About the artist: Tomm El-Saieh (b. 1984, Port-au-Prince, Haiti) grew up in Miami, where he continues to live and work. El-Saieh’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA (i2022–2023), and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami,  (2017–2018). El-Saieh’s paintings were included in the 2018 New Museum Triennial in New York. His work is represented in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami; Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, TX; de la Cruz Collection, Miami; and the Rubell Family Collection, Miami. In addition to his art practice, El-Saieh curates exhibitions of Haitian art, organizing projects internationally, as well as at El-Saieh Gallery in Port-au-Prince, established by his grandfather in the 1950s.