Cuban artists in Havana Art Biennale
About 13th Habana Art Biennale
What to see during the Havana Biennial 2019?
Following its motto «La construcción de lo posible", the next edition of the Habana Biennial has been conceived by its promoters as a space for those typologies of contemporary art that understand creation as a "living event or ongoing experience." Aiming to invade the city with art in the year of its 500th anniversary, the Biennial will take to the streets with more force than ever, strengthening the link between art and life, integrating spaces and public.
For a whole month, Habana will, once again, become a giant art gallery, a space where each person and building will be part of a great artistic performance. Those who decide to travel to Habana around those dates will take part in an event which streams into the streets. On this occasion, the Linea and Malecón arteries will become cultural walks pointing to new paths of collective reasoning, based on the confrontation of different creative and transit models. This will ensure greater rapprochement between audiences, locations and levels of experience.
A lot of art to see
The aforementioned axes will become great artistic corridors that involve not only plastic creation, but also theater, literature, music, dance, engineering and science. So by that time there will be a lot of art to see in Habana.
Undoubtedly, these associations will help revitalize different public spaces. The folowing groups will be involved: theater groups El Público & Estudio; El Ateneo bookstore; Mella and Raquel Revuelta theater halls; the Acosta Danza company; as well as the galleries surrounding Linea Street and other public institutions.Behind the Wall
This sociocultural desire will be especially reflected in the “Behind the Wall” project, which has been exhibited on the popular Habana Malecón over two editions. After its experiences in 2012 and 2015, it is proposed for 2019 to cover a larger public space -of about 6 kilometers of street- where to install pieces in order to turn art into a daily act, according to his promoter Juan Delgado.
It will include important artists that reflect their identity and that link to Habana, among which you will find Grimanesa Amorós (repeating from Peru), the mexicans Javier Marín and José Dávila, along with renowned Spanish graffiti artists.
Parallel to the exhibitions and central activities of the event, the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center has historically run countless collateral exhibitions, tribute exhibits, workshops, meetings and symposia. For its 13th edition, more than 200 creators from fifteen to twenty countries will be presented, including: Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, France, Peru and Spain. As a multidisciplinary space, the Biennial will house projects that have points of contact with other manifestations such as music, literature and dance. In addition, in each edition the Biennial announces a Theoretical Event, so, on this occasion, it will give continuity to a critical thought about the Third World seeking to determine its historical and conceptual meanings.What to see about art and architecture in Habana?
In addition to traditional formats such as painting, sculpture or photography, Habana will also be filled with large installations, performances and the latest trends in contemporary art through squares and parks. However, the capital and the rest of the cities involved in the event across the west and center of the country, have other cultural attractions to offer. Those who decide to travel to Cuba in that dates will not only enjoy the cultural atmosphere that surrounds Cuba, but they will be able to tour a "city-museum", which will show its best face on its 500th anniversary.
All of Habana - as well as the rest of the cities where the Biennial is celebrated - is a living example of an eclectic architecture, the result of the synthesis of imported styles: art deco, art nouveau, rationalism, brutalism, etc. Touring the city on foot or by car means entering into dialogue with restored buildings, as well as with the ruins that keep the living memory of a glorious past. If you want to know more about what to see about art and architecture in Habana follow the link.
In addition, a large part of the cultural appeal is concentrated in the Vedado area: theaters, cinemas, cinematheques, bohemian cafés, private galleries, museums, design shops, etc. On the other hand, the cities of Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Camagüey are living history. The "City of Bridges" is known for its bridges and viewpoints. Meanwhile, the "Pearl of the South" attracts for its neoclassical architecture. On the center of the island, the "City of the Tinajones" surprises for its traditionally work with clay, holding the Pottery Biennial.The Havana Biennial as the tip of the iceberg
In this way, the Caribbean archipelago has a lot of art and culture to offer, practically from all its corners. The Habana Biennial as a sample button, through the itinerary offered in its 13th edition, stands as an essential vehicle to understand much of what has happened in Cuban, Latin American, Asian, African and international art in general. From its origins, it has been able to boldly identify those most authentic, experimental and emerging areas of art in those regions.Discover the circuit to visit some of the main cities involved in the Biennial which CubaUnique organizes.
Julienne López Hernández
Degree in History of Art
Contributor of CubaUnique
www.artisticulturaltheory.com
