Overview
Didier William (b. 1983) lives and works in Philadelphia. Within his practice, William has developed a distinct and ever-morphing visual language through bold pattern making  and use of vivid color. William’s recent work largely draws on his memories of growing up in Miami after immigrating from Port-au-Prince, Haiti as a young boy. Pulling from Haitian history, language, mythology, and his personal experiences, he explores the legacies of colonialism, resistance, and the struggle for agency and identity. His work examines the relationship between formalism – his compositions combine both painting and printmaking techniques and push the limits of figuration and abstraction – and the narrative capacities of painting. William’s representation of bodies, natural and fabricated forms, and their shadows are at once resilient, sensual, and profound. Through these representations, he demonstrates a desire to uproot the constructs of the everyday and imagine a different future.
Documents
Works
  • Didier William, Difé, 2023
    Didier William
    Difé, 2023
    Acrylic, ink, oil, wood carving on panel
    90 x 59 3/4 in
    228.6 x 151.8 cm
  • Didier William, Alien: This Was Never Yours, 2022
    Didier William
    Alien: This Was Never Yours, 2022
    Acrylic, ink, wood carving on panel
    48 x 36 in
    121.9 x 91.4 cm
  • Didier William, Blessed Garden, 2022
    Didier William
    Blessed Garden, 2022
    Acrylic, oil, ink, wood carving on panel
    Triptych: 64 x 50 in each
    162.6 x 127 cm
    Overall: 64 x 152 in
    162.56 x 386.08 cm
  • Didier William, Origin Story, Charging Station, 2022
    Didier William
    Origin Story, Charging Station, 2022
    Acrylic, oil, ink and wood carving on panel
    70 x 52 in
    177.8 x 132.1 cm
  • Didier William, Poto Mitan, 2022
    Didier William
    Poto Mitan, 2022
    Acrylic, ink and wood carving on panel
    106 x 70 in
    269.2 x 177.8 cm
  • Didier William, 84 Corolla, 2021
    Didier William
    84 Corolla, 2021
    Acrylic, ink, wood carving on panel
    52 x 70 in
    132.1 x 177.8 cm
  • Didier William, Bis (Bus), 2021
    Didier William
    Bis (Bus), 2021
    Acrylic, collage, ink, wood carving on panel
    40 x 30 in
    101.6 x 76.2 cm
  • Didier William, Chita nan Mango Yo (Sit Inside the Mangos), 2021
    Didier William
    Chita nan Mango Yo (Sit Inside the Mangos), 2021
    Ink, acrylic, wood carving on panel
    64 x 50 in
    162.6 x 127 cm
  • Didier William, Dimbulah’s Cave, 2021
    Didier William
    Dimbulah’s Cave, 2021
    Wood carving and acrylic on panel
    104 x 68 in
    264.2 x 172.7 cm
  • Didier William, Kouran Mango (Mango Electricity), 2021
    Didier William
    Kouran Mango (Mango Electricity), 2021
    Acrylic, oil, ink, wood carving on panel
    64 x 50 in
    162.6 x 127 cm
  • Didier William, Siklon 2, 2021
    Didier William
    Siklon 2, 2021
    Acrylic, ink, wood carving on panel
    68 x 104 in
    172.7 x 264.2 cm
Installation Views
Exhibitions
Press
Publications