Identity, history, emigration, and womanhood are some of the prevalent themes in works by Tessa Mars. The Haitian visual artist uses her work to investigate a variety of topics: the gritty and playful. Daughter of acclaimed Hatian poet and novelist, Kettly Mars, and the great granddaughter of the multi-hyphenate Jean Price-Mars, Tessa is a proud Haitian and is unafraid to address socio-political issues that many tend to shy away from.

During her 2015 residency at Alice Yard, Trinidad, she explored ideas of what it would mean to be a hero in today’s Haiti. As a result, Tessa created a pop-up card of Jean Jacques Dessalines and placed her face over his. This was the birth of Tessalines.