Research for an artists exchange between the UK and Cuba
Irene Rogan January 2018
Introduction
Supported by awards from The British Council in collaboration with Arts Council England (The Artists International Development Fund) Irene Rogan was able to travel to Cuba in 2017 in order to explore the possibility of setting up an artist exchange programme. The project entitled Arcane Tender commenced with one month of research starting in Havana and moving to more rural locations in central Cuba. These locations included Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Remedios and Caibarién. The research was designed to engage with Cuban artists active across wide ranging disciplines and to explore the ways in which the unique cultural context influenced creative practice.
The visit was in part hampered by the recent disruptions brought about hurricane Irma. However, despite frequent electricity outages and limited resources for example, petrol, water and fresh food the circumstance of these visits provided a unique insight into Cuban culture that may otherwise have been missed.
During the visit I was able to witness ‘DiasdeArteCubano’, a ten day long national celebration of Cuban arts and culture; an event that provided plentiful networking opportunities. I met with José Manuel Noceda Fernández, Curator of Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam with whom I was able to discuss the exchange programme. I was also invited to attend events at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Fabrica (Havana), and at the Maqueta de Trinidad. The latter was a traditional outdoor celebration incorporating poetry reading, musical performance alongside visual arts. In addition, I was provided with the opportunity to meet with a wide range of artists working across diverse media including: graffiti, painting, installation, film making, photography, writing, poetry and music.
Toward the end of my stay I was able to engage a number of the above artists in a collaborative venture. This took place in Havana and resulted in the production of new and exciting works. Before concluding my visit I met with artists at Irusla Gallery to discuss presenting their work at a small exhibition in the UK (Finding Cuba, see section 2).
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba
1.1 Havana
On arrival in Havana Claudia Laguna, part time lecturer at the Ludwig Foundation* arranged a number of meetings, throughout Cuba, where I was able to visit practicing artists in their studios. In addition, Claudia assisted with travel and accommodation arrangements. The following images and captions seek to briefly document this journey. Further information is now provided on the dedicated Arcane Tender facebook page.
* The Ludwig Foundation of Cuba is a non governmental, non profit institution dedicated to promoting the work of both established and emerging Cuban artists.
‘
Lenguaje’ (Language) C Print ADONIS FLORES BETANCOURT
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba
Ricardo uses various media, including photography and audio, to examine his personal experience of Cuba's unique socio political present. His work, sometimes in the form of narrative and often employing metaphor, allows the audience to discover his/her personal interpretation.
Adonis, pictured outside his home, has established an international reputation based upon a series of video and photographic self portraits or 'camouflages’. These often humorous or tragi comic images present a tongue in cheek reflective commentary on his military service.
Frank takes his inspiration from postcards and the internet to produce paintings that: "depict well known familiar landmark architecture from around the world. They are imbued with a sense of nostalgia, partially hidden images behind cloud or faded scratched surfaces. They are concerned with the sense of longing".
Reinaldo, pictured with Claudia Laguna, is an up and coming installation artist. He described his work in the following way: "I am interested in proposing a point of contact between two parallel zones of racial discourse the black person as object of desire and the black person assumed to be a work engine. The images point to the subtle relationships that emerge between sexual power and brute force".
Surrounded by her own and her partner’s artworks, Marianela describes her work as: "a personal inquiry into the states of rupture and equilibrium present in nature as in society".
The Ceramic Studio (Studio Instituto Superior de Arte)
The studio is open to the public offering for sale a wide range of practical and decorative ceramics
Ricardo Miguel Hernández (studio and gallery, Vedado) Reinaldo Cid (Studio Instituto Superior de Arte) Adonis Flores Marianela Ozorco Frank GoonzalezOne: Arcane Tender in Cuba
Cienfuegos
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’ is run by a group of young people who employ their art for the purposes of social engagement and political activism.
Jose Antonio Montes (pictured above), known as 'the tooth fairy' is a graffiti artist who works primarily with children in the poor outlying areas of Cienfuegos. The children are encouraged to participate in helping him produce his graffiti wall art in order to find an outlet for their imagination and to engender a sense of hope. The practice is mutually beneficial as it allows Jose to keep producing work and helps ensure a ready supply of paint. For graffiti artists working in Cuba it is necessary to seek permission from the local authority and the police in order to 'honour' the buildings and only use unwanted walls.
Luis Albert originally trained as an engineer before focussing on pursuing an artistic career. He has been successful in selling both paintings and drawings and is now developing a more conceptual strand to his practice.
The artists' collective known as
Poco Bonito Project
1.3 Trinidad
A special evening took place at the Maqueta de Trinidad (a public building where a permanent model of Trinidad streets can be viewed). The event was part of ‘Dias de Arte Cubano’.
El Fantasma Pena Azul (the blue shadow) was a celebration of local artist, poets (including Freda), musicians and writers. It was notable that the evening was not publicised on mainstream tourist itineraries. My stay in Trinidad coincided with Dias de Arte Cubano (Cuban art days) a ten day festival of Cuban arts and culture. I attended El Fantasma Pena Azul (The Blue Shadow) in which local artists, poets, musicians and writers came together to celebrate each other's work.
A special evening took place at the Maqueta de Trinidad (a public building where a permanent model of Trinidad streets can be viewed). The event was part of ‘Dias de Arte Cubano’.
Fredaslinda Gonzalez Portieles
Fredaslinda Gonzalez Portieles is a well known Cuban poet who supports her work through ownership of a restaurant, bar and casa particular (bed and breakfast accommodation). Freda hosted my visit and provided introductions to a number of the artists working in Trinidad. In many instances these artists had formerly worked as architects and engineers but now supported themselves producing artisan crafts.
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba attended El Fantasma Pena Azul (The Blue Shadow) in which local artists, poets, musicians and writers came together to celebrate each other's work.At the time of visiting Caibarién, situated on theNorth coast of Las Villas Province, the city was recovering from the severe impact of hurricane Irma. However, whilst there, and under the guidance of local artists Julio and Josef Alonso, I was able to visit the UNEAC building (La Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba), a public space dedicated to showcasing the work of local writers and artists and in which a new exhibition was being installed. The exhibition, albeit constrained by the impact of hurricane Irma, was to form part of the national celebration of arts and culture, the 'Dias de Arte Cubano'.
During my visit I met with the gallery President, Julio Cesar Alonso and the award winning documentary maker and Frank Rodriguez Viamonte (Director of the Chanel Centro Norte Televisión de Caibarién). Both offered their support for Arcane Tender and expressed an interest in hosting future events in the gallery.
Pictured right is the iconic Moro Crab situated at the entrance to the town and celebrating Caibarién's key industry. The statue was created by the artist Florencio Gelabert (1904 1995).
During my artists' studio visits I had been introduced to Ricardo Hernandez and his video and photographic works. I invited him to work with me on producing a collaborative site specific work.
The selected site was in Miramar, a coastal residential district of Havana containing embassy buildings and hotels. These sit alongside the now derelict former National Swimming Centre and its abandoned swimming pools. The resulting work, a short performance video, was made quickly using a volunteer performer (Howar, a casual security worker) and was to be shown at a forthcoming exhibition.
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba
1.6 Invitations to Cultural Events
Invitations to Cultural Events
a) Open Event held at Fabrica de Arte Cubano
I attended the opening night for this national and international arts exhibition. Fábrica de Arte Cubano (FAC), situated in the Vedado district of Havana, describes itself as: "a large interdisciplinary creation laboratory that exhibits the best of Cuban contemporary art, with a strong social and community focus. An old oil factory transformed into a generalist space that opens up to the exchange between the various artistic manifestations that coexist in the same building".
Fabrica is the focus for creative innovation within and across architecture, industrial design, visual arts, cinema, dance, graphic design, photography, fashion, music and theatre.
I discussed the possible incorporation of a future Arcane Tender event at Fabrica with directors X Al fonso, Enrique Rottenberg and Christina Ricardo. The outcome of this meeting was positive.
top: Fabrica open evening and view of the Fabric district work by: Enrique Rottenberg, Ludmila and Nelson and Rio
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba
b) Post it 4
Post it 4 was a citywide exhibition of Havana based artists; it was curated jointly
Habana, Casa de Las Americas and La Galeria Artis 718.
Selection of artworks from the three galleries in POST IT 4 TOP l to r: , Yangtse Clemente installation ‘De la series fragmentos’, Andy Leon painting ‘Beef’, Bottom l to r Roger Toledo Pico ‘Pasije sin horizonte ‘, Luis Enrique Milan ceramic ‘Tarde para no creerseolo’
by the following three galleries: Galeria Collage
One: Arcane Tender in Cuba
1.7 Invitations to Cultural Events
Main Irsula Studio and Gallery, Havana
Arian Irsula artist and gallery owner
Arcane Tender: Final Event
Andrey Quintana, Josuhe Pagliery and Adislen Reyes, co owners of the Irsula Gallery in Havana, worked with me and other artists in order to put on a closing event for Arcane Tender in Cuba. Irsula Gallery is an artist run contemporary gallery and studio space and provided an ideal venue in which artists could come together and discuss how to develop an artists' exchange between Cub and the UK.
I gave a short talk about my creative practice before collecting together submitted artworks to be transported to the UK as the basis of a micro exhibition, 'Finding Cuba'.
Top and Bottom some of the Arcane Tender collaborators meeting with Irene Rogan in discussion about an international art exchange on the last day of the project.
Laura Carralero
Laura Carralero (Untitled Oil painting on canvas)
Darwin Estacio (Unititled Oil paint on Canvas)
Darwin Estacio
Adonis Flores
Ricardo Hernandez
Adonis Flores Betancourt (Interferencia Original Photographic Print)
Two: Arcane Tender in the UK
Ricardo Miguel Hernández (Untitled photograph) sold
Ricardo studied under the now exiled artist and political activist Tania Bruguera. His photography and video work is characterised by his experience of the prevailing Cuban political milieu.
Pablo Massip (still from 'Máscaras')
Still: ‘Cuba Libre ‘ Video performance Director Irene Rogan, Camera Ricardo Hernandez and Howar Acosta
Two: Arcane Tender in the UK
Irene Rogan, Ricardo Hernandez & Howar Acosta (still from 'Cuba Libre')
A collaborative video performance (see 1.5, Collaboration above)
Documentary photography l: Ricardo Hernandez r: Irene Rogan
Irene Rogan and Dr Isobel Story ('All our Yesterdays' Installation)
Denise Weston
Professor Kapcia and Dr Isabel Story key collaborators
2.4 Exhibition Open and comments
Two: Arcane Tender in the UK
