Faces of the Caribbean at Habana Outpost

By Junico Simino

Freelance photographer Stefano Giovannini is showcasing his photos through July 13 at the Habana Outpost in Fort Greene.

The exhibit will display Giovannini’s photos from his trips to Jacmel, Haiti and the west end of Jamaica. His work has been described as an impulsive, yet anthropological approach to photography.

The photos chronicle two weeks he spent in the southeast of Haiti, in the town of Jacmel, which been hit by four hurricanes, and a week spent in the west end of Jamaica in the town of Negril. His photos capture the daily struggles of different people who he met that shared food and stories.

Giovannini is a self-taught photographer from Milan, Italy, who relocated to New York City in 2000. His work has been included in major and independent publications in Europe and the U.S. including Nylon, Soma, Jane, Entertainment Weekly, TimeOut NY, and this paper. He is perhaps best known for his photographs of the musicians Sonic Youth, Cat Power, DJ Olive, Luna, Beck, Blonde Redhead, and others.

There will be 16x20 copies of his pictures on sale for $120 each, and 8x10 copies for $40 each. Part of the profit will go to Guerline Laguerre, a struggling single mother Giovannini met in Jacmel.

Habana Outpost, which is the city’s first solar powered eco-eatery, features different artists every three weeks. Upcoming artists include: Joseph Madres, Dyad Photography, Anna Moller, and Sarah Hajjar.

To learn more about Giovannini’s work, log on to www.stefpix.com.

For more about the Habana Outpost, located at 757 Fulton Street, go to www.cafehabana.com.