CubAdentro

Ramón Mesa Bauza - Stamp (2013)



“The topics – notes Luciano Benetton, the creator of Imago Mundi - range from the natural world of the clear skies and the sea to cityscapes, from the African cultural matrix to contemporary anxiety, from eroticism to a human dimension of suffering, from the desecration of revolutionary myths to alienation. The techniques used include glazed ceramics, acrylics, engraving, embroidery, crochet, collagraphy. Regardless of the different voices, a common expressive quality can be perceived, fruit of a solid cultural environment.”

Mónica Batard Lorenzo - Untitled (2013)

A cultural environment that is, objectively, fruit of the achievements of the legend of Fidel Castro, which in two areas in particular have improved the standard of living of Cubans, despite the country’s economic and industrial problems: health and universal literacy. The people of Cuba, notwithstanding their political isolation and the severe contrasts with the United States, which have only recently softened with the Obama presidency, have for many years enjoyed health indicators (life expectancy and infant mortality) at levels equal to, if not higher than, those of many developed countries. And, likewise, universal literacy has led the inhabitants of the Isla Grande to love the written word, as well as songs, dance and images.

Raúl Bueno Vidal - The industrialized she-wolf (2013); Raúl Bueno Vidal - Mechanical lighter (2013)



Maricel Nàpoles Gonzàlez, also a curator and art critic, explains how the Imago Mundi collection was implemented in Cuba from a practical point of view. “The project has involved artists from the three main regions of the country: east, central, and west, bearing in mind the most important artistic centers in each region. For starters we called the painters in search of greater thematic and stylistic variety present in the artistic scene: from the rural landscapes, the musical and Afro-Cuban traditions through to tropical surrealism in order to arrive at conceptual works which closely reflect the paradox of the human being and the dilemmas of today’s Cuban society.

Dennis Jardines Guerra - Portrait fo the Khukov Timoshenko plug (2013); Dennis Jardines Guerra - Portrait of the Ivana of Khokov Timoshenko outlet (2013)



The works that are part of the collection were created recently, between 2012 and 2013. "If in the 80s - notes Maria Elena Orozco, university researcher and art critic – attention to social issues prevailed, today the trend has predominantly moved towards personal aspects and the role that the artist assumes, or feels it necessary to play in order to express his artistic discourse as well as the reality that surrounds him. The art of today is not about making a statement, but instead calls into question the reality that is becoming more and more complex.”

Juan Luis Maceo Núñez - Untitled (2013)

Among the 144 artists in the Imago Mundi project, we encounter the most diverse experiences, from the over-fifties to artists who are fresh from the Academy, and self-taught artists who have achieved successful careers. Thanks to this curatorial and artistic policy – highlights Carlos Gàmez – “a mosaic gradually took form that encompasses various ways of understanding art, beginning with the most traditional painting up to the more conceptually intense expressions.”

Roberto Fabelo - Siren (2013); Roberto Fabelo - Romantic rhinoceros (2013)

From a global perspective, Luciano Benetton cites José Martí, poet and national hero of the Isla Grande (“everyone has the right to be educated, and they in turn have an obligation to educate others”) and concludes: “Today the Cuban artists are collectively saying that producing visual art also means a dialogue with others, it means communicating with the world. In perfect harmony with Imago Mundi, theirs is an art that creates connections.”



http://imagomundiart.com/collections/cubadentro