2011 » Cuba » Section of Countries and Regions

Curator:	Geanny García Delgado
Designer / Architect of exhibition:	Geanny García Delgado
Institution:	Galería Raúl Oliva

3CubanGen-(e)rations

Cuba has not participated in the PQ for 24 years. This absence is a reflection of the history of Cuban stage design over the past two decades – a time of inauspicious economic, political and social conditions. One particular feature of all these years has been the difficulty of true dialogue and coming-together among the three main generations of Cuban stage designers, separated by a difference of 20 years. Three generations, three designers, three plays form an exact representative image of what the Island has to contribute to the world of stage design. Jesús Ruiz (1943) hails from the first generation inspired by the Revolution. His design for Seven Against Thebes describes real sensations in order to create a metaphorical, theatrical and static image. Erick Grass (1966) studied painting and shows a notable cinematic influence. In Carmina Burana, he presents a symbolic and stark space. It is further separated from reality, creating new images and new spatial arrangements. Erick Eimil (1983), who graduated after the opening of academic stage design studios, looks for a personal expression that exists somewhere between the points of view of the two older generations. In Arrows of the Angel of Forgetfulness, he creates images using the most purely contemporaneous concepts of space. All three artists offer an excellent look at the current state of scenography in Cuba, in part because their generational experience comes together (especially over the past six years) in the formative spaces of the Superior Institute of Art (ISA). Scenography imposes itself. Its material and technical requirements and its dimensions make the most affected language in the process of stage design in Cuba today.