This page Photograph on display at the Fototeca de Cuba (top) and “La Cafedral” by Roberto Fabelo at the Instituto Superior de Arte (bottom) Opposite page “Torn Jeans” by Wilfredo Prieto
cultural initiatives, and its radical spirit has undoubtedly influenced the artists, whose work is characterized by themes of representation, boundaries and expression. Wilfredo Prieto is the star of this aesthetic. His 2012 piece “Torn Jeans” is a savage indictment of what Prieto calls the American myth: “The indestructible Levi’s tag is a symbol of American progress and the strength of a new order. The jeans being torn is about the embarrassment of a lost power.” His piece “Discurso” (Speech) turned daily newspapers into toilet paper, a reaction to dictatorship and the realities of fact and fiction. Like Prieto, Orestes Hernández works with mixed media and the surreal. The Havana native is inspired by the Arte Povera mediums of paint and raw material and work such as “Se Acabó la Salsa” (The Party’s Over) strongly identify him with his Cuban roots. Prieto too sees his art as intrinsically linked to his country. “My worries are always filtered through the focus of Cuban culture.” Director of Havana’s Centro Wifredo Lam, Jorge Fernando Torres views Cuba’s artist concerns as proud, fearful and infused with references to American and European trends such as street art and realist photography. 205 A