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The Cuban Project
launched for the fall 2011 session on Oct. 13, 2011 hosted a
reception and lecture meet-and-greet with artists Alejandro
Aguilera and Osmeivy Ortega Pacheco.
“Our hope at Cleveland
Institute of Art is the Cuba Project will enlighten our students
on a cross-cultural experience of not just Cuba but the world,”
said Saul Ostrow, Chair of Visual Arts and Technologies
Environment.
He said the Cuban Project
evolved from its original goal to find a single artist who will
provide CIA students an inside perspective on the influence of
culture and politics on Cuban art. Forty-four artists were
interviewed and the selection committee realized the divergence
of approach between artists from different generations shaped
art in Cuba. The project shifted its focus to inviting more
artists for shorter residencies throughout the year.
Additional Cuban artists
include Abel Barroso Arencibia, Alex Hernández Dueñas, Meira
Marrero Díaz, and José Angel Toirac Batista.
Ostrow said funding and
support from Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion
Initiative made the project possible.
David C. Hart,
Associate Professor of Art History at CIA said the artists will
help shape understanding and dispel common myth about the island
and broaden the view most US-American’s hold. He encourages
students and audiences to engage in critical discourse and
challenge all notions. Hart said the international appreciation
of Cuban artists is unique to the island, “Not many artists have
a bus load of tourists coming in to view their art.”
The five artists
participating in the exchange program present a contemporary
critique of Cuban society—for example, Ortega Pacheco is a
printmaker who uses common materials to express a message of his
prints. He is excited to explore what Cleveland has to offer.
He spent time in Sweden as an exchange artists and said culture
reflected in his art through the expensive materials he used in
his prints. “No one would make eye contact with me;” he
explained his desire was to engage the Swedes, who preferred to
isolate themselves with cell phones and other technology.
Aguilera represents a
different generation of Cuban artists. He left Cuba in 1989 to
escape political pressure and lives in Atlanta, Ga. His work
carries the essence of African religions and the undertone of
racial tensions in Cuba. His father is a self-taught artist who
was well respected for his work, but prevented from receiving an
award because he was black.
Aguilera said growing up
with that discrimination propelled him to be more expressive in
his sculptures. Though living in the U. S. has also opened the
possibility of unique collaborations. Crediting his wife’s love
of shopping at T.J. Maxx, he discovered the cultural collections
of artifacts imported worldwide. He uses the pieces as his base
and adds his creative touches; “it’s collaboration with unknown
artists,” he said.
Keynote speaker Dr.
Alejandro de la Fuente, professor of History and Latin
American studies at Pittsburgh, said racial discrimination and
tensions in Cuba are not acknowledged publically. “Cubans do not
talk about race and discrimination,” he said; instead, “it is
considered a part of the distant past no longer relevant in
contemporary society.”
The country made a
conscious effort to eliminate discrimination by focusing on
education and not discussing race. De la Fuente said nationalism
took priority in the official identity of Cubans, but a
consorted effort tried to eliminate the African cultures and
religions. He said artists continued to keep the culture and
traditions alive through their work but were largely ignored and
depreciated.
Racial tensions surfaced
as the country’s economy shifted to a tourist industry and
lucrative jobs were awarded to light skinned Cubans; the darker
skinned applicants were told, “They don’t have an appealing
appearance,” said de la Fuente.
“The dream of a raceless,
integrated Cuba remains a dream,” he said.
The Cuba Project:
Cleveland Institute of Art will remain on display at MOCA till
Dec. 31, 2011. For more information visit:
www.cia.edu/cubaproject
http://www.mocacleveland.org/exhibition_details.php?exhibition_id=75
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