Contemporary Cuban Art at Marlborough Chelsea
The Artists: Abel Barroso, Roberto Diago, Kcho, William Pérez, and Ernesto Rancaño
The Show: Living in Havana at Marlborough Chelsea Gallery
May 19 – June 18 2011
Work by five leading contemporary Cuban artists will be on view at Marlborough Chelsea gallery starting May 19. Titled Living in Havana, the assembled body of work explores the paradoxes and challenges of life in today’s Cuba, through a variety of media. All five of the artists live in Havana, and most of the work has never been displayed before in the U.S.
A centerpiece of the exhibition is El Camino (The Road) by Kcho, a painter and sculptor known for his frequent use of found objects associated with boats and the sea. The work addresses the hazardous nautical journeys undertaken by Cuban migrants attempting to reach the United States, and the possibility of a journey from a life of poverty to one of prosperity.
Also included is work by Roberto Diago, a past Cuba representative at the Venice Biennale and recipient of the Juan Francisco Elso Prize from Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Arts. Diago explores universal themes using recycled materials and a street art style.
The artist Abel Barroso creates often satirical works addressing social and political dimensions of Cuban life through a combination of sculpture and printmaking. Sculpture by Ernesto Rancaño takes on similar themes but in a more raw and anguished tone. Rounding out the show is William Pérez, a widely shown sculptor who here contributes work in incised plexiglass and mixed media.
“I concern myself with universal subjects like slavery, but not in a cold, detached way…I bring the subject from the past and put it out there for people today. Here in Cuba, you see a lot of big billboards advertising unity and solidarity for the common good. I think that’s cool, and I told myself that I could also propagandize for things I feel.” Roberto Diago
Category: Contemporary Art
