Lisa Davidson
Of Decay and Determination
After arriving in Cuba to celebrate its 2019 Bienal de la Habana art fair in April, I entered a complex world. I felt inequality and contradiction woven into Cuba's history within the culture and its people. On the surface, the surroundings lurked into an underbelly of a wholly repressed society. The purpose of my trip was to experience Cuban artists' works and philosophies as described by them. I learned oppression here deepens over generations, while the artist's creativity and voices try to save their freedoms.
Moving into the days' rhythm of visiting artists' studios and museums, I experienced the aromas of city life, food, car exhausts, and stagnant water, all heightened by the scent of cigars. Bright turquoise and ruby-red Chevrolet Bel Airs, gleaming with white piping to match as they rumbled on the street. The urban backdrop of Cuba reveals itself in the vestiges of an opulent society seventy years ago. Exploring on foot in Havana, I saw the once lavish details of premier-hotel lobbies with exquisite French Lalique stained-glass windows. Some adorned with master- crafted ceramic tiles, reliefs, and colored glazes.
Never quite free, the Cuban people bear the weight of their ancestors. I felt ghosts walking beside me amidst the city's decadency of what was. An artist mentioned at a young age, they internally fought against propaganda, determined to escape the chains of oppression with their power to create. Straight forward, their art was incredibly powerful. The artist's revealed their passion, dignity, and everlasting hope through their artistic expression in a country of decay and determination. I saw a people with spirit and dignity with an endless hope for an everlasting freedom in their native country, waiting for them just beyond the ocean's horizon.
~ Lisa J. Davidson