Marianela Orozco, “Ave”, video 2005

One of the most engaging projects included in the Eighth Havana Biennial was a site-specific art project that enabled artists to decorate and create installation works in the private homes of participating families in a housing project on the outskirts of Havana. I have experienced few art events that were as engaging, relevant, and hopeful as this particular project. However, at the outset I was skeptical about the prospect of invading private homes to experience art. I wondered how these people would respond to me traipsing into their homes as an art tourist. To my surprise, their response was both welcoming and heart warming. Not only did they greet me with open arms, they proudly guided me around every nook and cranny, revealing exciting details and anecdotes with the fluency and ease of a museum docent.
Cuban art is the art of paradox; it thrives and blossoms despite minimal resources. In many ways this is a true reflection of a country shaped by ambiguities: rich and poor, beautiful and decadent, surprising and shocking, wonderful and unforgettable all at once. On the same note, there are few places with such an intense mix of conflicting cultural impulses, whether religious, political or historical. Cuba has stood the test of time, despite politics, embargos, hurricanes, and almost every imaginable difficulty along the way. And yet, it is easy to understand why those who move from Cuba still long for the country of their youth. There are few places in the world where the ups and downs of life can be experienced as intensely as they can in Cuba.

Yoel Hugo Diaz, "Havana's Waters", video, 2005

Yuri Santana, “Doors”, installation, 2005

The Stenersen Museum is deeply grateful for this opportunity to present Heartbeat, an exhibition which allows us to experience the work of talented Cuban artists whose voices have not yet been heard outside of Cuba. Through the works of Duvier del Dago, Diana Fonseca, Rene Rodriguez Hernandez, Marianela Orozco, Yuri Santana, Yoel Hugo Diaz Vazquez, Walter Ernesto Velasquez and Irving Vera we are introduced to some of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the youngest generation of Cuban artists.
These are artists whose perspectives undoubtedly are different from those of the generation before them, whose political and historical references differ from those of their parents. However, as with the generation before them, these artists manage to make the tragedies of life bearable and turn the beauty of life into art through creative ingenuity. Heartbeat leads straight to the lifeline of these artists, and if we pay close attention we might even hear the faint sound of son in the background, fine-tuned to the rhythm of the Cuban heartbeat.

We express deep gratitude to all of the participating artists, whose works bring us closer to the Cuban experience, to the curators Sandra Sosa Fernandez and Andrea Sunder-Plassmann, who have selected the artists and works to be included in the exhibition, and to the producers Bjørn Follevaag from Foundation 3,14 and Anne Brit Strømnes from The National Museum of Art, Norway whose hard work and dedication have made the entire exhibition possible.

Selene Wendt
Director
Stenersenmuseet