Subject

The Cuban Art Revolution of the eighties began at the newly opened ISA (Instituto Superior de Arte), the highest art academy of the country. And not by chance, since ISA was founded (1976) in a period when ambitious education- and culturprograms strived to transform Cuba into an art nation, by establishing in allmost every larger city an artschool which made it also necessary to have students teach.
At the ISA - where the best ones of a country gathered that was in a state of revolution - this led, combined with the experimental spirit and the enthusiasm of the young teachers, to radical changes. And quite concentrated ones too, since amongst them were strategists like Flavio Garciandia who coordinated critical attitudes, hunger for information and cosmopolitism, with the help of Lupe Alavrez, a professor of esthetics, and the conceptual teachings of Luis Camnitzer, into a finely tuned educational practice (Tonel).
Supported by artists of growing importance like José Bedia, Carlos García, José Franco, Magdalena Campos, Renë Rodríguez and Eduardo Ponjuán and the art theorists Orlando Tajonera, Madelín Izquierdo, Osvaldo Sánchez and Magaly Espinosa this movement gained (about 1981) international attention, especially when the art groups “Hexagon”, “4 x 4” and “Volumen” brought it to the biennials of Venice, Paris and Sao Paulo and, from 1984 onward, to the ones of Havana, which gave it also a certain legitimacy.
Never the less, some art historians claim that the actual contemporary art of Cuba began in the late eighties, after most of the “revolutionaries” had left the country and the remaining artists concentrated on the development of their particular expressions and techniques.
Be that as it may, it were the exiles that have been praised by international critics and markets as the representatives of the contemporary Cuban art. And a bit rush, since most of them began to adopt the styles and trends of their host countries, which soon lead to a decline of that Renaissance.
But not in Cuba, because the students of Sosabravo, Mendive, Ramírez, Choco, Fonseca, Domínguez and other masters, have not been tought art revolution, but the art to express the profundity, wealth an vitality of the Cuban culture. And as their numbers are steadily growing, we are going to present them from now on consecutivly - and also young artists from the provinces, which had so far no access to the Havana-plattform and thus to the international art scene - wherefore we do suggest that you do visit this catalog regulary.