St. John’s University is proud to present “Young Contemporary Artists from Cuba,” at the Chung-Cheng Art Gallery, located in Sun Yat-Sen Hall on the Queens campus, at 80-00 Utopia Pkwy. The exhibit opened Tuesday and runs through March 9. <
“The early 1980s began a fertile period in Cuban Art made possible by a new breed of artists who moved away from state regulated images and began to experiment with more complex depictions of Cuban identity,” said Denise Rompilla, assistant professor of Art History at St. John’s University. “In 1984, the inception of the Havana Biennial, one of the world’s most important contemporary art exhibitions, helped Cuba become an international artistic center.”
The exhibit, “Young Contemporary Artists from Cuba,” represents the views of those who endured the period of economic turmoil that resulted from the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. These artists expanded upon their predecessor’s critique of revolutionary ideas through humor and populist imagery, media and installation and a new-fangled attention to trends in the art world. Despite the harsh economy and restrictions placed by the United States embargo, Cuba has become a leader in the worldwide art market over the past decade.
Many of the works featured in this exhibit have been produced within the last five years. Some were recently on display at the 2003 Havana Biennial and Art Basel Miami. Although the artists represented in this exhibit continue to live and work in Cuba, they have received international acclaim and are featured in prominent foreign collections. Artists include: illustrator Carlos Estévez; sculptors and installation artists William Pérez and Adrian Rambaut; printmaker Sandra Ramos; photographers and video artists Juan Carlos Alom and Cirenaica Moreira; painter Kadir López (Kdir); mixed media artists Elsa Mora and sisters Yamilys and Jacqueline Brito; and primitivists Alejandro Lazo, Joel Jover among others.
The exhibition is co-sponsored by the Committee of Latin and Caribbean Studies. Special thanks to the Center for Cuban Studies in New York and the Fraser Gallery in Washington, D.C. for facilitating the loan of these works.
“Young Contemporary Artists from Cuba,” may be viewed during gallery hours, Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. For further information call Gallery Director Parvez Mohsin at 718-990-7476.
