By Hector Bosch and Xenia Reloba

“It’s an amusement park”. “A craftwork fair”. “They are going to build a gallery of stores”. At P2’s first bus stop, 3^rd and E corner (Vedado), people curiously observe the neighboring park, which was recently fenced in, so none of the regular passengers of the route to the remote Cotorro could figure out the purpose of such movement of young people. A grumpy old man scratches his head: “And now what the #$%& are they going to do here?”

A group of students of Fine Arts from the Superior Institute of Art comes and goes and their ins and outs are more and more frequent. Project Ciudad generosa, under the tutelage of Cuban artist and professor Rene Francisco, stands in the site where there were other things, and recently some banks yearning for noble vegetation.

We have arrived in early. The professor isn’t here and nobody knows if he is coming today. This city follows the accelerated rhythm of the inaugurations related to the 11^th Biennial of Havana, and probably has other commitments. So we walk away, looking forward to finding him later. And that was what happened.

«But everybody asks me», those are his welcome words after having kindly listened to who we are and what we are doing here. «Talk to the boys. They can explain everything. There you have Anabel, Yami, Fidel… This is a class exercise », he insists while aims with the last phrase at the first of the girls and asks her to dialogue with the representatives of Arte por Excelencias.

«My piece is an asbestos cement bell. A video-art is going to be screened in the ceiling, representing a drop of water that falls on a supposed liquid surface. It’s very surrealist, bringing about a feeling of withdrawal, as well as a relaxing effect», Anabel Zenea explains, who is one of the thirteen pupils of Rene Francisco.

«Ciudad generosa tries to create a space in which viewers can feel themselves welcomed. Besides, every house offers a gift to the people», she tells us, before entering areas that turn out to be more winding, even for experienced artists.

«Artists have their own utopia and ask themselves how to materialize project? We have had to contact architects and different experts so as to get what we imagined», she says, and underlines the importance of going out of the galleristic context to establish a relation with the neighborhood.

«The work with Rene has made us grow up, as he leads us to the factors that get things done. He encourages us to reach the utopia. This project has taken us to make arrangements that are not usual for most of the artists. When this moment comes to an end, we’ll have higher stakes», she summarizes.

At the end of the way

Yamisleisy Garcia Socarras (Yami) probably never had a tree house. «Actually, although my work is based on some trends of Cuban architecture, I did some research and found the idea in the culture of other countries», she confesses while evokes that space, which in other places becomes a sort of refugee where children «escape» from their homes and hide their most intimate world.

Yami wants to give us, and give Ciudad generosa, a dreamed space and a space to dream, which does well out of the location of her piece, at the end of the road, the yard, and at a height that allows those who visit it to admire the surroundings and reflect on what’s going on around them.

Like her colleagues, she will be given present too: some small wooden chests for visitors to keep their treasures. «I can’t control the reaction of viewers. What I want is to provide an image that is not familiar to them or they have forgotten it: the opportunity of having the most perfect tree house», she emphasizes.

From a more conceptual outlook, Yami explains: «Casa generosa would be similar to an art institution, a micro-world within the macro-world represented by the city».

In a discourse where generosity prevails all the time, the young artist, who will be flying in a couple of year without the tutelage of her professor, explains that he has taught them to be organized, present projects and look for resources. «This production has required a lot of effort. Although every structure is different, all of us worked together to find sponsors», she concludes.

The En Construccion piece stands in one of the lateral limits of the city. It’s the only artwork designed not to be ready on Saturday 12, in the afternoon, when this collective project is scheduled to be inaugurated. Its author, Nelson Barrera Hernandez, explains that it’s a sort of building designed to support other previous works, autonomous, installations and paintings among them.

What are you going to give to the visitors as a present?, we asked him, and the quick answer was: «construction materials». Another metaphor of reality that returns subverted. «It’s not a projection that tries to solve problems, but it’s a gesture», he insists, while points out the ephemeral character of this city, which contrasts with the idea transcendental and eternal metropolis.

«As for the pedagogical pragmatic, it has to do with the preparation to face a productive process linked to the creation. This entails a work dynamic that is different from the one followed by an artist in a workshop and helps us to face the social life, go out and not to stay at the ISA, as an isolation place», he explains.

Ineludible Coda

Rene Francisco

Rene Francisco, 2010 National Award of Fine Arts, walks from one place to another as we speak to him. We have already talked to three students but, even so, we have three questions. The first one: How does this collective project joins the proposal of the 11^th Biennial, which targets artistic practices and social imaginaries, keeping in mind that one of the most constant problems in Cuban reality is related to the housing matter?

«Paradoxically, title Ciudad generosa seems to be a kind of noble thing, when it comes to a problem that has been felt for many years: how do Cuban people live, not only in terms of way of life but space. I think that the title that seems to add distinction to this idea involves a profound critic, not in the complaint style. It’s the way of artists who criticize, criticize and criticize», he begins.

«I’ve look into the opposite side of the question. For us, a group of students and one professor, a 40.000 CUC investment is a lot of money, but it’s not so for the State. Somehow, this work shows that many things can be done with that money», the artist notes, and confesses to be amazed by the ability of his students when it comes to facing big challenges.

«Sometimes I feel like a strange when the people are looking at us, how we build with these materials things that that could solve…», he stops, because he had rather tell, just as he did in other works, how to use these materials to repair their houses.

«But we want to build a parallel city», he insists, «to show that a metropolis can hypothetically exist, and not only state-run institutions, but also the neighbors have gotten used to live in these circumstances». And he continues: «Cuban people can be easily modeled and I think that there are people who adapt, who have lived in a level, get adapted to a lower one and go down».

The «pedagogic fact» has an extraordinary importance for him. Watching «how young artists can prove, by using terms that we usually put aside –due to the cynicism present on the intellectual and artistic practice–, terms like humanism, beauty, emotion. I want to bring those things excluded from the contemporary intellect», he insists, and thinks of what has been –evidently– one of his greatest motivations in recent years: «I vote for that union between pedagogy and art, of how you can edify to send signals to the people».

Few days before the inauguration, and though he told us that he’s working as a building worker and can’t think about any other thing but construction, Rene Francisco can’t stop reflecting on this project that kicked off as a class exercise, has grown up and presently transforms –although it’s just for one month– a popular and many times overwhelmed site in Vedado: «I don’t think that we have come to the Biennial, but the Biennial came to us. I’ve been working this way since 1990. I’ve always dealt with this urban topic, how to insert the creation in the streets, outside».

And he is interested in «how to train people to deal with the public, talk to viewers, not looking to the past but to the future question», and it’s also a pragmatic project in that sense because it aims at how to go on.

Because this Ciudad generosa is «like from the future», we can dream about it, and it includes the best of Cuban architecture, the beauty and spirit that accompanied it, even in the worst times. The metropolis brought back by Rene and his 4^th Pragmatic crew, beyond our apparently uncontrollable immoderation.

And though we had announced «three questions», the truth prevails: «Do you know what? It’s been enough».

By Xenia Reloba and Hector Bosch

Felipe Dulzaides, One Minute Installation series

Chaos is the name of the collective exhibition showcased at Galeria Habana, May 9 – June 10. It includes artworks of Cuban contemporary creators that stand out in the promotion circuits of world art.

Perhaps the notion of chaos has become less incomprehensible, since scientists have validated it to explain phenomenon of the material world. Whereas, the complexity of society and human beings still leaves open windows for artistic creation, which puts on the map interpretations or representations with different readings.

These symbolic productions also live their own chaotic universe on art market, so the transcendence of their discourse is intimately linked to the commercial promotion of artworks and artists.

In this regard, curator Yadier Perez commented that Galeria Habana has maintained a steady work on international spreading and marketing through auctions, and its presence in other world scenes.

Likewise, he pointed out the importance of a domestic market to boost the artistic product positioning, which turns out to be difficult in the case of Cuba due to the socio-economic conditions.

The expert affirms that they have successfully increased the value of artworks created by representatives of Cuban avant-garde. In the case of contemporary creators, some of them have been positioned in foreign circuits or have established links with art promotion centers overseas, though they keep the charm given by the Isle’s political singularity, «the double sense and even the tensions brought about by the relation with the United States».

A lot of attention lies in “made in Cuba” Cuban art, he mentions, maybe more than in artworks created by artists who migrate and get lost within the world market whirlpool. That interest is encouraged by the work of national institutions and events such as Havana Biennial, which «gathers selected artists» and facilitates the launching of their creations.

Chaos comes within this panorama, from a question that ranges «from the particular to the universal, and deals with the daily life: urban, collective, social, financing», explains.

«Several artists were handpicked, artists from a certain type of market that has been backed up by the work of Galeria Habana and aesthetics, the value of their artworks», creators that haven’t devaluated their proposal in order to facilitate the sales and «have remained strong even increasing prices, participating in biennials», he highlighted.

«Carlos Garaicoa is maybe the paradigmatic case, with constant presence in exhibitions in Europeand United States. As well as Los carpinteros, who are internationally acclaimed», he emphasized.

According to Yadier Perez, the Biennial «is a propitious framework to gather collectors, art enthusiasts, critics, theoreticians, artists. The last ones, sometimes due to work obligations, don’t spend much time in Cuba ordon’t carry out regular exhibitions in the country», and in this aspect he mentioned HB, another showcase to be held in Pabexpo, with authors that haven’t displayed their work in the Isle for a long time.

As for art marketing, the specialist suggests that «although local ideas are highly valuable, they should be understood in other circumstances. This might be a problem for some artists, with relevance for the countries, their societies. But I believe that they have to go further, reach another level, spiritual we could say, other senses».

About Caos

Garaicoa’s pieces included in this exhibition have been carved on bone and allude to the depauperation of the urban environment, in a paradoxical conjugation of beauty and destruction. Meanwhile, Los carpinteros make good use of the symbolism of an object liked to Cuban people’s historic-existential experience: the oil lamp or Chinese lantern.

Yadier mentions brothers Yoan and Ivan Capote, who«have already gained momentum in the North American market». The first one is represented in Caos with an installation-sculpture structured as buildings, symbolically built with labyrinthic padlocksand, as for the second one, a two-dimensional work of marked conceptualism is exhibited.

Felipe Dulzaides

On the other hand, Felipe Dulzaides returns to the city spaces and their influence on individuals, giving them a subversive look through the drawing in the photographic image.

Glenda Leon brings about the hallucination of a forbidden sky in a box of light, and Reynerio Tamayoevokes violence with a toy car turned into war tank.

Here is the staging

On the sui generis call of Galeria Habana, Felipe Dulzaides thinks that there is a common denominator in the pieces: «the sensibility that has to do with conceptual art. The pieces dialogue in minimal language, with references to accidents, architecture, and urbanism».

On his work, he points out that «it has to do with the relation between the individual and the city. I’ve done some research on how it affects out subjectivity. The monuments, the city as such, dictate a state, a behavior. With these small actions the individual is subverting that state».

«The chaos is a very big thing because human beings try to control life and that’s not possible. It’s a fixed formula. When the curator called me, I looked at my work and found a series that responded to this theme», he says, and adds that in the exhibition «everything has a subversive character. There are different means, but language is the best. The format isn’t what gives unity, but the discourse of ideas.»

On market and art, he affirms that there is no «contradiction among the marketing and ethical principles. We live in a world where marketing is a must. Everything costs money. It’s normal, this is my job and this is how I make a living», he emphasized.

«Collectors have another kind of relation with the work because they take it home», he said, and added that it’s very likely that most of the people interested in this kind of art, which isn’t decorative,representinstitutions, since it’s very difficult to be commercialized. «Who buy it are interested in the kind of discourse or in the artist that explorer the idea, and also bet on this work to support the creators», he stressed.

«What’s interesting is that everybody can come and enjoy this showcase and establish a dialogue with the proposal. Afterwards, you have the person with the economic power to coexist with the work. That’s another story. But this is the staging», he summarized.

Beyond the market

Reynerio Tamayo’s Baby carriage

Reynerio Tamayocategorically denies the market interest in the conception of his work for Caos, which makes up «a bellicose series I’m working on. Ideas that aren’t very lucky, but war isn’t, it always causes death».

«I’m not concerned about the market», he affirms, and adds that «that is related to the idea of chaos. I’m interested in stimulating the people, speaking of such a terrible topic as war, which also has to do with the lack of safety on the streets».

His work, a baby carriage turned into an armored car, proposes a «profound reflection on violence. There are some people who consider that it’s too intense and it’s not to be bought. However, you do what you feel you have to do, and Picasso’s Guernica is an example, as well as Goya.»

«I wish there were no war, violence and lack of safety so armored cars weren’t necessary», he summarizes.

It’s clear that we live in a chaotic world, but certain order that be born from Caos, in terms of ethic and aesthetic discourse, just as it’s evidenced in the exhibition showcased at Galeria Habana during the 11^th Biennial.

Q & A with Maria Milian, Director of Collage Habana, FCBC

Cuban art is truly acclaimed and valued worldwide, particularly since the 1980s, when a vigorous generation of young artists graduated in arts schools gained momentum in important enclaves for international art in Europe and America.

Cuban institutions targeting the promotion and marketing of Cuban art overseas have developed different strategies to achieve their goals, adapting to the circumstances imposed by the circuits that legitimate and dictate the rules. They presently face new challenges: persevering in the participation in events, exhibiting aesthetically revitalizing proposals, which most of the times break the traditional schemes of museography, “reaching out” potential customers with more perseverance and diversifying them.

AxE News talked yesterday, during the opening ceremony of HB collective exhibition, to Maria Milian, who tackled some of the keys to understand the emergence, present and future of that proposal, conceived as an “aggressive” market strategy in Biennial times.

The project

«The conception process, the project’s genesis, is what has made possible to hold a second edition. Putting together the efforts of marketing entities in terms of discerning a catalogue of authors with conceptual unity is a great challenge.

«Continuing the career we started, the second edition coincides with Havana Biennial because it’s the right time, when this city becomes a showcase for Cuban art. »

«We can’t forget that there is a restriction on domestic market, which stops us from continuously promoting and marketing works in the country. All of it contrasted with a more and more diverse and bold visuality, as well as the new proposals of formal and conceptual values that we are interested in spreading. That’s the reason why we have to ´make the most´ of this visit of collectors, art dealers, and launching this strategy translated into a large-scale exhibition.»

The location… Today Pabexpo, and tomorrow?

«One of the challenges is conceiving a space that actually works as a setting to be likened in visuality and museography to the so-refreshing aesthetic proposals of Cuban art to date. Works and spaces are to be validated. People usually say that the gallery legitimates the work of artists, and the other way around. Creating an exhibition site with the conditions we can presently admired, with this museography system, allows us to validate these pieces.»

Differences with the first edition…

«The change lies in the work we have carried out in, talking to the younger generations, we are even including works created by recently-graduated artists such as Mabel Poblet.»

A constant space for Cuban art market …

«I wouldn’t dare to catch a glimpse of a clear possibility in the future when it comes to a permanent space, just like an exclusive fair on Cuban art, or an international profile. First of all, because such event would take us to consider a potential in situ customer. And there is still a lot of work to do on this matter.

«Today we must put our work on the international map, our Cuban contemporary art. And I believe that in the future we could try to conceive a more ambitious project.»

New market for art in Cuba

«There is still a lot of work to do in order to attract this possible new Cuban customer. The institutional collecting has already been gauged, and it’s also valid. We do want to attract that possible collector, who actually exists, but is still too ingenuous, perhaps too inaccessible.

«The artists also become buyers of their colleagues’ works. There was a time when they only exchanged works, but they have presently moved to the possibility of acquiring works for their collections.»

AxE News will be publishing, on its Youtube page, the video of the HB opening ceremony, on Wednesday May 9, 2012, in the framework of Havana’s 11^th Biennial.

Interview with Jose Manuel Noceda

By Xenia Reloba and Hector Bosch

In the middle of assembling the Shared Creations (Creaciones compartidas) collective exhibition, that brings together 19 artists from 11 countries, we talked with one of its curators, Jose Manuel Noceda, about the objectives and particularities of the exhibition that will be staged at the Pabellón Cuba, a recurrent venue of the Havana Biennial.

About the venue, Noceda pointed out that during the first Biennial, in 1984, the building «became a sort of temporary museum. It had two stories to exhibit works, particularly for the two-dimensional ones.» Then it was dropped for a few years, until the Biennial returned to «this emblematic and well-located site in what is today the center of the city, with its wonderful, atypical yet fabulous spaces,» in 2000.

According to Noceda, who shares the curatorship of  Creaciones compartidas along with young Cuban artist Rewell Altunaga, «the curatorial logic has changed based on the interests for which Pabellon is conceived in the Biennial.» In the seventh edition (2000) works were in tune with the scale of the building, its monumentality, and were located in a way that they could interact with that structure. In the following years, greater emphasis was made on the context and history of the place, «one of the jewels of the revolutionary architecture, thought out to serve as the venue of big cultural events.»

However, « Creaciones compartidas takes another way. It tries particularly to articulate a bond with the current uses given to Pabellon, which has passed from being a space for big cultural events to a fair or exhibition ground; and I think those characteristics have given it a more popular touch. The public that enters the place is much more diverse and broader now. We are taking those uses as reference points and, some of the cultural trade operations that take place here during those events as well. »

The works of art

Regarding the pieces that the public will be able to see at Pabellon Cuba during the Eleventh Havana Biennial, Jose Manuel Noceda explained that «they have a playful and interactive character. Basically, what people we’ll find here after the 13^th, the day the exhibition is inaugurated, at 10:00am, requires the presence, the participation of the viewer so that the production-circulation-consumption cycle is closed.» «There’s nothing there solely for the eye, to be look at. The artist has to enter a space and get in tune with the surrounding sound.»

In reference to the diverse nature of the works, he added that «some of them are just sounds; there is nothing physical in the space, following the immateriality of art. Others are installations that also emit sounds or encourage viewers to come in, touch, look, I mean, become familiar with the work from a much closer perspective.»

«That’s why I keep saying that this is one of the Biennial’s projects that tries to break with that kind of indifference typical of too wide publics towards contemporary art. Because it brings them closer to the productions by means of playful actions and interaction,» he stressed.

The boundaries of visual arts

When asked whether this project breaks or not the boundaries of visual arts, he answered categorically: «On the contrary. As all visual arts, we enter a much wider range of action than that of plastic arts, particularly with the development of the video, of the new communication means, of the use of technology according to the artistic expression.»

«Here we have productions that work precisely with those technologies, on digital formats, not just the video. It’s not just getting to the place and playing the film, there is the case in which a digital image can be activated from determined components located in the  place that detect the presence of the viewer, follow him and project that presence, both with images and sounds,» Noceda said, in reference to the project by Cuban Aluan Arguelles.

The Caribbean and Central America at the Biennial

We asked about the participation of Latin American and Caribbean artists at this Eleventh Havana Biennial. «I’d rather say Caribbean and Central American,» and added: «the presence of those regions in the Biennial has been remarkable.»

«Over the last 20 or 25 years, an accelerated rupture with what had been happening in the past was produced. Those were cultural territories dominated by painting, printmaking, and, in a lesser extent, photography, but artists —especially the up-and-comers— have been giving a U-turn to those scenarios.»

«This time, the presence is smaller in terms of number, but they are relatively young, world-class artists who enjoy a considerable interregional and international circulation, and who fit nicely in the Biennial’s curatorial platform, » he explained.

Noceda mentioned as an example Panamanian Humberto Velez as «having him as a reference is must, precisely because the constant bond with the public sphere in his works. A Central American artist who lives in Manchester, England, and was a key point in our theoretical discussions as we organized the project and thought about the possible guest artists. He served as a paradigm many times.»

The specialist also talked about a group of artists «equally interesting and appealing, who work with popular imageries, », among them Jean François Bocle, from Martinique, whose creation is based on «all the postcolonial reflection on the Caribbean, » and Joëlle Ferly, from Guadalupe, who makes «a sort of relational performance involving the viewer. »

«In general —he said— it’s a not so-big selection in terms of number, but it is quite solid regarding the artists we have invited.»