Stephen Arboite

Photo by Sonya Revell

Stephen Arboite (b. 1987) is a multidisciplinary artist of Haitian descent who was born and raised in New York City and now resides in Miami, Fl. Primarily self-taught, he builds upon his foundational studies in drawing and painting at SUNY Purchase to explore beauty beyond classical aesthetics, emphasizing spiritual transformation and the evolution of human. His mixed-media works—featuring coffee, fire, and natural pigments—explore memory, identity, and spirituality. Through series like Portal and Machèt, he transforms destruction into creation, invoking Vodou and African traditions to challenge colonial narratives and invite reflection on ancestral wisdom and the unseen. Arboite’s work has been exhibited at prominent venues including T&Y projects Tokyo, Sperone Westwater, and MOCAD Detroit. His work is included in the collections of Pérez Art Museum Miami and MOCA North Miami. In 2021, Arboite was honored as a Knight Arts Champion by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.