By Alejandra Garcia on November 21, 2024
Every two years, art takes over the streets of Havana with cultural proposals that include photographic exhibitions, sculptures, and audiovisual productions through the renowned venue of Havana’s Biennial. On this occasion, the capital’s public and visitors who come to the island are attracted by this great cultural event and will be called upon to reflect on today’s world and the alternatives we can build.
From November 15 to February 28, Havana will once again become the epicenter of contemporary art. Artists from all over the world will converge in this initiative from different creative modalities, such as performances and workshops with the community, exhibitions in galleries, and video mapping projections in public spaces.
Art moves out of the galleries and takes root in public spaces, becoming part of the everyday life of the capital city. According to experts, this Biennial will be the perfect space to connect, create, collaborate and, above all, weave the threads that unite us as a community of “Shared Horizons”, as this year’s motto states. The people will be able to witness these presentations in different parts of the city, but mainly along the Havana Malecon, the Paseo del Prado, and the Plaza de Armas in Old Havana.
Frozen Fire, by Korean Han Sungpil
The work Frozen Fire, by Korean Han Sungpil, stands out amidst the hustle and bustle of the capital. With extensive canvases covering the building next to the emblematic Payret movie theater in front of Havana’s Capitol, the artist alludes to the aftermath of forest fires and nature’s capacity for renewal.
At the same time, the public’s curiosity and amazement have privileged spaces in the Plaza Vieja with the work Nube de madera, La arquitectura de los deseos (Wooden Cloud, The Architecture of Desires) by German Martin Steinert. With 8 meters high and almost 10 meters in diameter, the ephemeral sculpture Wooden Cloud also seeks dialogue and interaction with Cubans from its location in one of the historic squares of Old Havana.
And precisely this has been one of the Biennial’s main achievements. Since its founding in 1984, it is considered one of the most important events in the international art scene. The Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, founder and promoter of the Biennial, dreamed the event to be able to disseminate the creative achievements of the so-called Third World (peripheral or underdeveloped nations).
“Nube de madera” by Martin Steinert,
To sustain this project, interrupted only during the most pressing years of the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research work is carried out on the development of cultural and artistic manifestations of peripheral regions and groups, based on a vast documentary fund. Local research is also carried out, very close to anthropological studies.
According to the Wilfredo Lam Center, the Biennial is the first contemporary art show that managed to establish itself outside the Europe-United States axis, the ones that chose until then what should be exhibited globally. Besides, it flees from the models of biennials like those of Venice and São Paulo -the two major events up to that time- as it does not focus on the artists and trends established in the Western hegemonic spectrum, seeking alternatives to national representations and submissions.
In this new edition, each piece is a reflection of the diversity, beauty, and complexity of the world and, especially, Latin American contemporary art. This celebration not only invites us to contemplate works but also invites us to be an active part of a process of collective creation. Each visitor will take with them not only images and memories but also a spark of inspiration that will last forever.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English