Electa Arenal: A Mexican woman in Cuba

The history of Holguin`s art takes on relevant nuances in the decades after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Throughout that period, the name of Electa Arenal Huerta stands out: for some, she was just “La Mexicana.” She was born on May 16, 1935, in Mexico City, where she died on June 12, 1969. She was 34 years old and worked busily in the “Siqueiros” Poliforum murals but she had enough time to leave a sound work, like her character, located in public spaces and social works of Holguín, Velazco and Puerto Padre, and also others in Saltillo and Mexico City. She came from a family of political activists who had  a tradition in the visual arts. Under the umbrella of the Mexican muralist movement, she cultivated her ethical and aesthetic vocation.

Just fifty years after her death, the Provincial Center of Plastic Arts paid attention to the tribute project presented by Holguin artist, pedagogue and curator Ramiro Ricardo Feria, which was materialized on June 12 and 13 with the support of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and the collaboration of the Provincial Heritage Center, which institutions treasure part of this legacy.