Cuban Art News Blog

DJ Saul: “There will be an explosion of Cuban electronic music in the world”

2012-02-23T18:31:15Z

Saul Diaz (b. Miami, 1980) had never visited Cuba. For him, it was a "pending subject." But now, the island was a “hole" that it was time to fill.

Update: Garaicoa at Centre Pompidou, Ana Albertina in Miami, and a Retrospective in Havana

2012-02-21T18:00:09Z

Kcho opens an unusually large and comprehensive retrospective in Havana, a Carlos Garaicoa installation goes on view in Paris while a show at his studio runs through this week only, and a former member of the Puré art collective opens a solo show in Miami.

Work in Progress: “Cubanacan: A Revolution of Forms”

2012-02-16T18:00:23Z

In 2002, California filmmaker Charles Koppelman came upon Revolution of Forms, a book by architect John Loomis about the design and construction of Cuba’s still-unfinished national art schools, the Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA) in Havana. Now, after a decade of development and experimentation, the opera Cubanacan: A Revolution of Forms is headed for a Havana recording studio.

Cine Cuba: A Film News Roundup

2012-02-14T02:33:54Z

A new book about Hemingway and Cuban film and TV, Juan Antonio García Borrero’s blog hits a thousand posts, Reynaldo Miravalles appears before Cuban cameras in April, and Daniel Díaz Torres talks about his current film.

Update: Acosta and Barroso in Madrid, Aguilera in Atlanta, a Castañeda Homage to Gego, More

2012-02-09T00:22:47Z

Two acclaimed artists make their solo gallery debuts in Madrid, Aguilera opens a museum drawing retrospective, Habañeros get a look at photographer Michael Dweck’s jet-set vision of life in the capital, and an outstanding collection of international contemporary art is coming to Havana for the Bienal.

The Making of “Inside Havana:” A Conversation With Julio César Pérez

2012-02-03T01:45:27Z

As he prepares for the 2012 Havana Charrette taking place later this month, Havana architect and urbanist Julio César Pérez paused to talk with Cuban Art News about the making of Inside Havana (Taschen, 2011), the recently published, Havana-only version of his 2005 book Inside Cuba, now out of print. Here, Pérez recalls his role in the book’s creation, how it came about, what he himself would have done differently, and why it remains such a vital testament to Cuban architectural history.

“Inside Havana:” An Insider’s Look at the City and Its Architecture

2012-02-01T02:51:38Z

For architect and urban planner Julio César Pérez, Havana is both a treasury of architectural history and a vibrant reflection of contemporary life on the island. With Inside Havana—a Havana-only version of Inside Cuba (2005), now out of print—Pérez and his collaborators balance the city’s grand mansions and public buildings with glimpses of more modest domestic spaces, intimate and personal.

Update: Garaicoa Curates in Madrid, Peña in Salamanca, and “Chico & Rita” Comes to NYC

2012-01-30T21:44:17Z

Carlos Garaicoa curates an exhibition with an unusual concept, Umberto Peña leaves Pop Art behind, a show of Cuban artists’ books makes a stop in New England, and just in time for the Oscars, the jazz animation Chico & Rita finally makes it to New York.

“Unfinished Spaces” Premieres in Havana; Coming to Miami

2012-01-24T21:13:44Z

Cuban Art News has been reporting on Unfinished Spaces, the film about the architecture of Havana’s Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA), while it was still in production. Since its completion in mid-2011, the feature-length documentary has debuted in New York and Los Angeles, won awards at numerous film festivals, and in December, premiered in Havana. We caught up with the film’s directors, Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray, for an update on the Havana screenings and what’s coming next.

Update: León in NYC Solo Debut, “Queloides” Goes to Harvard, Herrera in London, and More

2012-01-23T20:13:24Z

Glenda Léon solos at Chelsea’s Magnan Metz Gallery, María Magdalena Campos-Pons opens tonight in Havana, José Bedia’s IVAM show arrives in Madrid, Carmen Herrera coming to London’s Lisson Gallery, and Adjoining Islands continues at The 8th Floor in NYC. New videos on the CAN Facebook page, too.

A Recap From the Island, Part 2

2012-01-18T02:24:19Z

In the second installment of this two-part survey of visual arts in Cuba in 2011, Mabel Machado looks at solo exhibitions, awards, publications, auctions, and international events held on the island. Our thanks to the author and to the online cultural journal La Jiribilla for permission to present this comprehensive review on Cuban Art News.

2011 in Cuban Art: A Recap From the Island, Part 1

2012-01-16T23:37:07Z

Described by the U.K. website Publishing Perspectives as a “de-facto digital library of Cuban culture,” the online journal La Jiribilla celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2011. Among its end-of-year articles was a detailed recounting of the year in art on the island. We are pleased to present this “2011 Visual Cartography” by Mabel Machado as a two-part series on Cuban Art News, where it appears in English for the first time.

In Conversation: Adriana Herrera Téllez and Willy Castellanos

2012-01-11T17:19:57Z

This past year, the Miami-based Aluna Art Foundation was founded by art historian and curator Guillermo “Willy” Castellanos and critic and curator Adriana Herrera, with the goal of raising the visibility for artists outside the mainstream. The Foundation’s first exhibition, After Neo-Expressionism: Diaries on the Edge of Roughness, is just completing its run at the Barrio Workshop Artspace in Miami, where it closes on Saturday, January 14. In an email interview with Cuban Art News, Herrera reflects on Aluna Art’s first months and its plans for the future.

Update: Azaceta in New Orleans, U.S. Photographers Snap Cuba, Havana Charrette Coming Soon

2012-01-09T21:41:19Z

Luis Cruz Azaceta turns global affairs into art, U.S. photographers unveil their views of Cuba, and there’s still time to join urban planners and architects in Havana--and to toast Flavio Garciandía’s new show in L.A., or catch Yoan and Iván Capote in Havana.

Bilko Cuervo: “I want the best of human beings”

2012-01-05T03:15:12Z

Bilko Cuervo is the youngest of Cuban filmmakers focusing on short music videos, known on the island as "videoclips." In Jamaica, where he’s currently working, he spoke with Cuban Art News about this little-known Cuban genre, his experiences making videos, and working methods.