Havana Art | Ateneo Art Cuba

Art Exhibits at the Gran Teatro

Mar 312012

As you stroll through the streets of Havana, keep your eyes open and you will stumble upon art galleries, both large and small, some well known and others seemingly undiscovered. This is the magic of Havana, there is always something new to be found. Walking along a sidewalk under the arches of a most glorious historical building along the Paseo de Marti, we stopped at number 458, to find an art exhibition on the first floor of the Gran Teatro.

The Gran Teatro (the Great Theatre of Havana), is the home of the performing arts in Havana, the home of the opera and the Cuban National Ballet Company. You will also find an art gallery on the first floor of the building displaying the works of both international and Cuban artists. At the time of our visit to Cuba, a exhibition of the works of the Spanish artist Antoni Miro was on display. The exhibition was called Antonio Gades, Viento del Pueblo, a collection of works inspired by a poem called Wind People written by Miguel Hernandez in 1937. Antonio Gades died in 2004.

The subject of this exhibition was the great Spanish flamenco dancer, Antonio Gades with whom Miro also had a friendship. The 24 works on display also include a bronze bust of the dancer, Gades, and digital art on canvas, images of small format photographs of Gades.

Vientos del pueblo me llevan,
vientos del pueblo me arrastran,
me esparcen el corazón
y me aventan la garganta.

The winds of the people carry me,
the winds of the people blow me on,
scattering this heart of mine
and readying my throat.

Gran Teatro
458, Paseo de Marti
Havana

Collage Art in Cuba

Havana Art, Other Artists 2 Responses »

Feb 062012

Whilst in Havana, we saw many examples of collage as a contemporary form of art. Three examples caught our attention. The first image displayed here is by Cuban artist Alicia Perera, an female artist from Havana with a studio in Cojimar on the coast of Cuba, about an hour’s drive away. Cojimar is the town where American writer Ernest Hemingway made his home and we were on our way to visit his house. This mixed media collage is on canvas, made with acrylic paint and the images which symbolize a nostalgic definition of the things we love about Cuba or, more specifically, Havana. Beautiful women, Havana Club rum, perfect mojitos, music everywhere and text from newspapers and magazines. It reminds us of a Cuban singer we once heard sing. He called himself the Cuban Johnny Cash. His voice was deep and rich and powerful when he spoke and when he sung those lovely old Cuban songs. He said his voice came from years of Cuban rum and cigars. Old world Cuba and Juventud Rebelde – Rebellious Youth – this is the Cuba of today.

The second and third images are works of art featured at the Havana art gallery El Trasgu. These collages were created by Yunes Cura. The first collage is entitled “De la Serie Hola: Go!,” (2011), measuring 165 x 128cm. Mixed media on canvas.

The third collage work by Yunes Cura is called “De la Serie Hola: She Goes to Hollywood,” (2011) measuring 170 x 150 cm -both are large works and a very interesting assembly of images and text. If you think Cuba today is a lot of sad people living under a dictatorship, you are totally incorrect. It’s much more complex than that simplistic view of the Island to the south. You can see the same issues and concerns of youth anywhere, any place in the world. Everything is in its art – it always has been. It is vibrant and cultural and so wonderfully alive.

The El Trasgu Gallery, one of the art galleries in Havana, is owned by curator Hilda M. Barrio. Ms Barrio promotes the art of young, upcoming Cuban artists. The exhibition was called “Colorful,” showing Cuba and its youth portrayed by young artists. It is located in old Havana in a beautiful old renovated building with its entrance on the Paseo del Prado at the corner of Virtudes, in Habana Vieja. El Trasgu Art Gallery opened its doors last December, 2011.