Artists from Havana

This exhibition is divided into two sections.  The first examines artists from Havana, the intellectual and cultural metropolis of Cuba.  It is here where the latest trends, influences and myriad cultures meld together.  Havana is the tropical winepress, where a multitude of artistic forms and ideas are squeezed like grapes in the sweltering heat of the extended Caribbean coastline.  The artists below attest to this diversity and ambition.

 

Glenda Leon is part of a new generation of international conceptual artists.  With similar interests and aspirations of western women, her work is striking in its innovative exploration of post feminist concepts.  In this work she gives new life to discarded objects.  Notice that the "flowers" in the work are little bow ties and decorations lifted from old women's lingerie.  Titled Every Flower Is A Shape Of Time, the idea is to redefine time by expropriating found materials and giving them new life and meaning.  Yet in spite of these global concepts, the actual idea of re/using discarded materials is a very Cuban reality.  A good example of this are the infamous 50's style American cars still widely used, and maintained by making old parts new.

Glenda Leon

Every Flower Is A Shape Of Time, 2001

photograph of installation, 20" x 13.5"

Amit May Collection

In All the Flowers of Dresses the artist appropriates and juxtaposes hundreds of different flower patterns used in designing women's dresses.  A proponent of body art, weather expropriating women wear, using her hair as a drawing tool, or even experimenting with spent chewing gum, her works reflect on the role of intimacy and the female body, challenging our notion of feminist art.  A promising young artist, Ms. Leon has exhibited and created installations in Havana, Australia and Europe.

Glenda Leon

All the Flowers of Dresses (detail), 2002

digital print on canvas, 35" x 70"

collection of the artist

Ezequiel Suárez

From the series "New Swiss Art" (front and back), 1998-99

mixed media with thread and sandpaper, 11" x 9"

Amit May Collection

In the irreverently titled series New Swiss Art Suárez uses various samples of sandpaper which he embroiders with subversive comments and dialog on the back side.  The phrases range from sarcastic political commentary to sexual exploits, all in the name of generating irony and a bit of laughter.  Yet what makes these works so poignant is their acute reflection on how Cuban society functions in reaction to government control.  While on the rough external surface (sandpaper side) things look beautiful yet abstract, the inside reveals a different story.  These works serve as metaphors on a universal  level as well, and call into question the intimacy we all seek to protect from the roughness of the external world.

Ezequiel Suárez

From the series "New Swiss Art" (front and back), 1998-99

mixed media with thread and sandpaper, 11" x 9"

collection of the artist

"This is what I do.  I do it because I like it, but you of course, want more explanation.   And I can give it to you; I can give you many explanations.  I can tell you that what I want is to penetrate your veins, make you laugh, stand behind your eyes and push out a tear.  All that and other things too (theoretical conjuring, teques, justifications...), because this work of art has many layers, many artists.  But you want the truth, as always.  And that, my dear, I cannot give you...I am sorry, it is not in my best interest."

The above two works, exhibited here side by side, are a study in contrasts.  Both works are exponents of larger, multi component ceramic installations. Yet these smaller untitled works represent the core of their ideas.  San Juan's heart lays out guts and raw emotions in an unbridled, macabre manner.  Angel Norniella's crate is a champion of concealment.   While both objects are in a sense vessels, to the human mind they couldn't be more different.  Yet in the context of the Cuban social/political mindset, these two qualities often coexist, revealing yet another Cuban paradox.  For an outsider it is sometimes a wonder how these two traits can subsist in such a seemingly amiable way.

Afraid to Fly is laden with symbols that speak to a Cuban sense of being.  From the old, crumbling walls of a colonial building to signs of life stemming from the tree trunk and egg, there is both resignation and a spirit of hope for a better future.  Perhaps a reflection of the turbulent times of the 1990's, the headless angle propped on top of the ladder sums it up best: Afraid to Fly.

Guiterrez, along with the two ceramic artists featured above exhibit their works, including large scale installations, at the Museo National de la Cerámica Contemporánea Cubana.  This museum is housed in a unique setting, that of a16th century castle built to guard Havana harbor from pirates.  Among Cuban ceramic artists the quality of craftsmanship, conceptual theory learned at art school and the unique predicament of Cuban contemporary culture all make for ceramic works that are among the most advanced in the international art world.

Gilberto Erasmo Guiterrez Amat

Afraid to Fly, 1994

ceramic, 7" x 8" x 8.5"

Amit May Collection