iAy Miami!
Contemporary Cuban Video Art
Shown at FACT on September 8th
Reviewed by
The Cuban post revolutionary art videos screened at FACT varied greatly
in both style and content, spanning from documentaries to animation and
showing varying aspects of Cuban society. The evening started with a Q
& A with the curator, Cecilia Anderson, who made 2 research visits
to Havana in order to assemble the collection. Anderson described the
difficulties for artists in producing video in Cuba - “I was unaware
of hardship for artists, particularly in getting access for editing”
and illustrated this by quoting one of the artists - “We’re
about 100 students and we share one camera”. Despite the difficulties,
some of the videos were well made, providing interesting social commentary.
The Hope and the Rope - Manuel Pina
Manuel Pina tells the story of the microbrigades, an initiative to construct
blocks of flats which was set up by the government to address housing
shortages. It was presented using a series of stills and photos interspersed
with text in which the artist describes his own experiences in the microbrigades,
some of which were successful, others were not. The black and white images
used give a historical feel to this interesting and entertaining piece.
The Garden of Mistrust - Alexandre Arrechea
Alexandre Arrechea contrasts with the historical tone of the first piece,
commenting on a more modern phenomenon – the ever present CCTV camera.
The piece consists of a series of different camera shots of a tree of
CCTV cameras which constantly move to monitor their surroundings. It is
an interesting and disturbing commentary on the increasing use of surveillance
systems.
Atardecer - Alexandre Arrechea
Alexandre Arrechea is also a comment on surveillance, featuring a palm
tree surrounded by helicopters which almost appear to have sprung from
the tree. The contrast between the natural and man made elements of this
piece are interesting, although the piece is a little overlong.
Colgados - ENEMA
Is an attempt to restage a piece performed in the 60s by Marina Abramovic.
It shows a group of men and women dressed in black suspended from a metal
frame. It is set in a gallery which is filled with people observing the
performance. The white walls contrast starkly with the black clothes of
the performers, giving a slightly eerie feel to the piece.
Cada respiro - Glenda Leon
‘Each breath’ shows a flower growing from the abdomen of a
young woman, lying on her side, breathing deeply. It is accompanied by
the sound of deep breathing. The camera at first only shows a close up
of the flower, and the woman emerges, framed by the beach, at the camera
moves back. A sensual and relaxing piece.
Y Jesus dijo a Lazaro - Carlos Garaicoa
‘And Jesus said to Lazarus’ is a series of shots of the statue
of general Franco on his horse in Santander, Spain accompanied by the
sound of a horse trotting. It is an attempt to make the horse trot, thereby
metaphorically setting history in motion, in a different direction. This
piece is simple but effective. |