Cuban art does the talking
Six artists born between 1964 and 1980, who are living and working in Cuba, display their views on the reality and the particular ways of social and economical exchange in the Caribbean country.
States of Exchange is the first major exhibition at Rivington Place after the opening of the gallery.
It is also the first major exhibition of Cuban art in London after the one that took place in the Barbican Centre in 1998.
The British curator Cylena Simonds and her Cuban colleague Gerardo Mosquera, who selected the works, say this is not a compilation of Cuban contemporary art, just six different views at the current events on the island.
Bilingual money, Speech, Glory erases memory, Not knowing is like not seeing and other pieces in the exhibition higlight critical issues like the double-currency system and the contrast between political representation and everyday life in Cuba.
The exhibition includes a range of work, including sculptures and performances to video installations and animation.
Chronicling history
In the past three decades, Cuban art has thoroughly explored the controversial areas of the history and current events that have transpired on the island nation.
“States of Exchange aims to show how artists discuss contradictions, ambiguities and social negotiations in Cuban life” adds Mosquera, the renowned critic and curator.
This trend has made the arts a very enlightening way to get closer to a clearer understanding of what is going on in the island.
They are reflecting reality and re-creating their place in the complex system of human and political relations, in a troubled land going through difficult national circumstances and under distressing external policies.
As well as using mostly recycled materials, in some video performances the artists take their bodies as another object.
It is not just a resource to make agony visible, but also the expression of identity and the sense of belonging with their reality
States of exchange exhibition is open at Rivington Place until March 22. There is a full-colour bilingual catalogue available at the gallery, which contents analysis on history and context of current Cuban art.
The programme also includes talks with curators and video screenings featuring short and experimental documentaries by other 14 Cuban artists.
States of exchange. Artists from Cuba. 23 January-22 march. Institute of International Visual Arts. Rivington Place.London EC2A 3BA.
