Havana Nagila: Cuba-Israel Dialogue

Introduction text for Havana Nagila brochure
Chelouche Gallery of Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
Noga Gallery of Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv
Julie M. Gallery, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv Artists’ Studios
The Artists House, Jerusalem
HAZIRA Performance Art, Jerusalem
September 2000

The idea of bringing together Cuban art and Israeli art was conceived during the years I lived in Miami – the city often referred to as “a bridge to Latin America” or as a “Cuban extension” – and only upon my return to Israel about a year ago did it crystallize. During the years spent in Miami and my numerous visits to the island I became closely acquainted with the two current poles of the Cuban conflict, evoking my curiosity and desire to penetrate as much as possible through the screens of the official rhetoric, and confront the radical stereotypes and perceptions associated with Cuba. In my encounters and conversations with artists, curators and art critics in Cuba I discovered great intricacy in every possible shade of gray, an intricacy I was so very familiar with from my own country. The political passion, the polarization, the reflexive gaze, the use of humor and irony as a survival strategy – all these made me feel at home. It seems that the much-used expression with regard to Israeli reality, “an outsider would never understand”, is doubly true in the case of Cuba.

Likewise, whenever I came across Cuban art, I discovered surprisingly overlapping aspects and similarities. Despite the geographical distance, the dissimilar system of government and the restricted freedom of expression, and despite the cultural gaps between the two cultures, I realized how similar the artistic discourse was after all. The major current issues addressed by Cuban art are not unfamiliar to Israeli artists: Universalism versus localism, center and periphery, the vestiges of a Socialist utopia, exile, memory, the perception of homeland, being tired of political readings, reluctance to bear any banner, and of course, the entire spectrum of identity politics. The encounter with the Israelis in the exhibition is experimental in terms of reaffirming the assumptions about points of similarity and exploring the type of dialogue that may evolve around content, form, temperament, and sensibilities.

The generation of Cuban artists represented in this project is that of the 1990s; a generation that has developed sophisticated adaptation mechanisms and elaborate acrobatic skills for improvisation in order to walk through a mine field. Unlike the previous generation, whose political subversiveness led it to exile and migration, the politicization of the younger artists is not as quintessential and their subversiveness – more refined. They are also preoccupied with universal issues, such as the temptations of affluent society, gender and identity, yet their political discourse is stratified, sophisticated, and implicit. The majority of works in the show reflect modes of concealing, blurring and decoding manifestations of discontent with the political situation in Cuba.

Present day Cuba is not a Socialist utopia, nor is it a Communist nightmare. It has challenging, moving, sincere, fresh and critical art. The leading Cuban artists are now featured in major international exhibitions. These days, when Cuba’s economy is being opened to foreign investors and its beaches — to tourists, Cuban art represents hope, a potential for change.

Translation: Daria Kassovsky