Summarizing four decades of creations into a mere 113-page book is an almost unattainable endeavor, yet Henry Roy has accomplished this with the assistance of Marseille-based publisher Loose Joints. A poetically chaotic arrangement of sunsets, slumbering strangers, bodies of water, and everyday magnificence constitutes Impossible Island, a moving tribute to Roy’s journey. “This project is about exile,” the Franco-Haitian photographer shares with AnOther about his book, which coincides with a retrospective at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. “It delves into the relationship between our roots and the experience of the broader world, all perceived as a dream.”
Roy and his family escaped Haiti in the mid-1960s due to political circumstances when he was just three years old, eventually settling in Paris, where he still resides today. “Impossible Island alludes to the French phrase la possibilité d’une île, which conveys the aspiration of discovering a sanctuary within modern circumstances,” the artist elaborates. “My title, which runs counter to this phrase, does not signify despair. I was born on an impossible island, Haiti, which I was compelled to abandon at a very tender age. My work narrates the fantasies of someone uprooted, in search of a vanished island.”
Roy made the decision to pursue photography at the age of 18 after assisting a friend in developing images in the darkroom, claiming that “something profound transpired within” when he witnessed the first image emerging from the chemicals. This led him to travel worldwide as a photojournalist in the 80s and 90s, exploring destinations such as Ibiza, Paris, Dakar, Cameroon, Normandy, Marrakesh, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, and returning to his homeland of Haiti. Characterized by a wistful beauty inspired by his admiration for French New Wave cinema, these vivid images have graced fashion magazines such as Vogue and Purple and influenced directors like Barry Jenkins, who acknowledged Roy as a significant reference for his beautifully crafted 2016 movie Moonlight.
Among all the locations Roy has visited, a few journeys are particularly memorable, notably his initial trip to the small Balearic isle of Es Vedrà, located off Ibiza, during the early 80s. “After uncovering the photo darkroom, it became my second life-altering experience,” he relates. “As an exile, I rendered Es Vedrà a symbol of my lost paradise and have persisted in capturing its essence over the subsequent years.” While Ibiza represented an emotional homecoming, a journey to Congo for a commercial assignment in 2002 signified a pivotal shift in Roy’s approach when political instability in the area confined French expatriates to a dated four-star hotel. The artist documented individuals in moments of contemplation, relaxation, and reflection, producing a series of images he claims have “significantly shaped the distinctiveness of my style.”
Reflecting on his life’s accomplishments for this project, Roy notes several recurrent motifs that appear to search for subtle instances of magic or transcendence in the mundane. “Water is a recurrent motif in my work,” he mentions. “I feel an undeniable attraction to rivers, oceans, and even some swimming pools. In the mystical-symbolic tradition of Haitian Vodou, water serves as a conduit through which the spirits of the departed traverse. The feminine formis also significantly highlighted. In my visuals, it radiates a unique sensuality, frequently associated with motherhood. Numerous images of individuals in slumber – men, women, and children lost in their dreams – are present as well.”
Creating an emotional 40-year journey around the globe, the visuals in Impossible Island encapsulate a career dedicated to investigating not just the concept of displacement, but also how the locations we regard as home can influence our identities. “My practice has navigated the ups and downs of my life,” Roy expresses. “My work is infused with my meetings, experiences, affections, revolts, inquiries, perceptions, fantasies, and revelations. The subject matter has transformed greatly, and technically I have traversed numerous stages, yet the core of my craft has altered little since its inception. The same emotion, the same resonance, flows through all my visuals.”
Impossible Island by Henry Roy is released by Loose Joints, and is currently available.
