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In co-operation with
2015
The 12th Havana Biennial
Michelangelo Pistoletto at the
12th Havana Biennial
Mabel Poblet’s Patria
REVIEW & GUIDE TO THE 12TH HAVANA BIENNIAL
HAVANA GUIDE
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“La esquina FRIA” by Ana Lorena
EDITORIAL
Since May 22, the Havana Biennial has transformed the city with contemporary art. This year, it has flung open
the doors of once-closed structures, from electric plants to defunct bicycle factories, injected cheeky and spirited
installations into the city’s urban texture, and overwhelmed with too much art to possibly see, challenging visitors
and locals alike to take in as much as they can before the show comes down on June 22.
This year’s iteration both jumps beyond and continues in that vein. As the first biennial to take place in a different
economic and regulatory climate than years prior—visitors to Havana will find new tourism infrastructure, and the
promise of political change in the form of a fresh diplomatic and economic relationship with the United States—this
year’s biennial is a debutante ball of sorts. An exuberant first-week program of ancillary exhibits complemented
the formal offerings of the biennial: Cuban artists who had decamped to foreign countries years ago have returned,
opening studios and informal galleries in Havana; an assortment of new spaces, eschewing the model of either
commercial gallery or artist-run collective and instead creating their own rules, have opened in apartments and
homes around the city. Open studios, inaugurations, and performances of the first week of the biennial took place at
a dizzying pace.
Elsewhere, hats off to the New York Cosmos who gave a deft display of finishing to polish off the Cuban national team
4:1 on a wet but still packed evening at the Pedro Marrero Stadium. The Cosmos are simply the latest in a wave of new
visitors to Cuba who are coming to see for themselves the tropical magic that is Cuba.
June 2015 Highlights (Havana, unless stated)
May 22-June 22
The 12th Havana Biennial
June 4-28
III Encuentro de Jóvenes Pianistas & Musicalia 2015
June 16-18
VIII Congreso Internacional de Diseño de La Habana, FORMA 2015
June 24-28:
X Festival Internacional Danzón Habana 2015
June 16-July 1
Cucalambeana Country Fair (Las Tunas)
Thanks to all of our contributors, sponsors, partners and readers. Do please keep providing us with your feedback,
comments and suggestions. All enquiries should be directed to Sophia Beckman at [email protected]. All
the best. Viva Cuba!
photo Alex Mene
JUNE 2015
ART:
THE 12TH HAVANA
BIENNIAL
HAVANA LISTINGS
OTHER
FEATURED
ARTICLES
HAVANA GUIDE
The 12th Havana Biennial: an introduction p6
The 12th Biennial is on the move p8
The 12th Havana Biennial continues p10
Zona Franca: megashow of Cuban art p12
Casablanca in the 12th Havana Biennial p16
What lies beyond the wall p19
Mabel Poblet’s Patria p24
At the Wifredo Lam Center: art in the plural p27
Michelangelo Pistoletto p30
Wilfredo Prieto p32
Mauricio Abad p34
Visual Arts p37 — Photography p39 — Dance p40 —Music
p41 — Theatre p47
The Cucalambeana Country Fair p51
Features - Restaurants - Bars & Clubs - Live Music Hotels - Private Accommodation p54
the
12
th
Havana
Biennial
an introduction
An electricity plant constructed in 1915, closed since the late sixties, recently opened for
tours, filled with multimedia presentations and work by Cuban sculptor Esterio Segura;
the prison cells of the Morro-Cabaña complex across the bay from Old Havana, vaulted
ceilings echoing the chatter of visitors who peruse work by 250 artists and collectives,
from conceptual art by Reynier Leyva Novo and Ivan Capote to paintings by Luis Camejo;
a segment of Havana’s waterfront Malecón, just two weeks ago a humdrum chunk of
seawall, now converted into a sandy beach, complete with thatched-palm umbrellas,
plastic loungers, and the occasional cooler of beer.
Since May 22, the Havana Biennial has transformed
the city with contemporary art. This year, it has
flung open the doors of once-closed structures,
from electric plants to defunct bicycle factories,
injected cheeky and spirited installations into the
city’s urban texture, and overwhelmed with too
much art to possibly see, challenging visitors and
locals alike to take in as much as they can before
the show comes down on June 22.
The Havana Biennial—which, in true Cuban
fashion, takes place every third year in the early
summer¬—has been a lauded institution in the city
since 1984. As one of the first sweeping, artistically
ambitious biennials to take place outside of the
first world, it was intended to offer a platform to
artists left out of subsidized European shows: it
showcased artists not only from Cuba, but South
America, Africa, and Asia. As such, the show shifted
access to and expectations from global biennials,
prioritizing offering Cubans from all walks of life
first-class art.
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This year’s iteration both jumps beyond and
continues in that vein. As the first biennial to
take place in a different economic and regulatory
climate than years prior—visitors to Havana
will find new tourism infrastructure, and the
promise of political change in the form of a fresh
diplomatic and economic relationship with the
United States—this year’s biennial is a debutante
ball of sorts. An exuberant first-week program
of ancillary exhibits complemented the formal
offerings of the biennial: Cuban artists who had
decamped to foreign countries years ago have
returned, opening studios and informal galleries in
Havana; an assortment of new spaces, eschewing
the model of either commercial gallery or artistrun collective and instead creating their own
rules, have opened in apartments and homes
around the city. Open studios, inaugurations, and
performances of the first week of the biennial took
place at a dizzying pace.
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“La Perla negra”
photo by Ana Lorena
Luckily for visitors who didn’t make it to Havana in May, the biennial continues through June. Participatory
and diverse, its offerings include an encyclopedic, if overwhelming and slightly scattered exhibit of work
by Cuban artists in the Morro-Cabaña. With work that includes the conceptual and the representative,
by artists of the widest possible range of ages, the exhibit is a vigorous introduction to Cuban art. In Old
Havana, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes show, at the Cuban arts building, exhibits work by Cubans
Alexandre Arrechea and Wilfredo Prieto, a survey of abstract drawings by Gustavo Pérez Monzón from
the Ella Fontanals Cisneros collection. The museum of universal art has been taken over by an exhibit of
work on loan from the Bronx Museum of the Arts, “Wild Noise,” representing the first half of the first art
museum exchange in fifty years. Along the Malecón, a curated selection of outdoor sculptures ranging
from an icy blue cube by Rachel Valdes to a spiky, innuendo-laden cake-like sculpture by the collective
Stainless, including the popular new Malecón beach by Arlés del Río, encourage participation.
Additional exhibits at the Casa de Africa, Wilfredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Spanish Embassy,
and much more ensure that even the most cursory walk through Old Havana will result in a visitor’s
stumbling into an exhibit, whether large or small.
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Intervension en el MORO 12 Bienal de
la Habana, Photo by Y. del Monte
The 12th Biennial is on the move
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
The Havana Biennial is the kind of event that
often surpasses public expectations. This twelfth
edition has been characterized by its capacity for
expansion, for the multiplicity of languages it uses,
and especially for the ability to involve citizens
in each of its processes, invading, if you will, our
everyday lives and seeking to leave its enduring
imprint on them.
Those of us who plan to be present at the most
important events in this grand festival of visual
arts have to constantly travel all over the city.
To enjoy the inauguration of one of the principal
shows, many of us took the ferry across the bay
where the town of Casablanca awaits us. It is the
site of many different practices that started there,
especially those based on making the most of the
originality of its surroundings, its symbolism, its
community projects and the only electric railway
in Cuba. This too is where the prestigious French
artist Daniel Buren has his exhibition.
Within the official program, I was especially
interested in the exhibition organized at the
Wifredo Lam Center for Contemporary Art.
Performance and art-as-object concepts were
alternated successfully. The show called Montañas
con una esquina rota, curated by Wilfredo Prieto,
chose an old bicycle factory as its venue. Here a
significant group of international artists such as
Richard Wentworth, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Román
Signer, Helen Mirra, Navid Nuur and Roman
Ondák were brought together along with Cuban
artist Eduardo Ponjuán (recipient of the 2013
National Visual Arts Prize). Theatre-associated
performances had the effect of enriching this
exhibition environment.
Daniel Buren en Casablanca12 Bienal de
la Habana, Photo by Y. del Monte
As never before, I feel that this year there has
been a positive connection between the official
program and the collateral shows, both in terms of
the artists’ themes and the languages and concepts
utilized. Therefore these connections ended up
being favorable ones, offering the public some
concrete clues about where Cuban and world art
is heading.
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Once again Pabellón Cuba is exhibiting one of the
official shows: the group project called “Entre,
Dentro, Fuera/Between, Inside, Outside” with
the participation of artists such as Agnes Chavez,
Pedro Lasch, Casey Neithtah, Stephanie Syjuco,
Elizabeth Stevenson, Levente Sulyok, Susana
Delahante Matienzo, Omar Estrada, Adonis Ferro,
Denis Peralta and Maysabel Pintado, Glenda
Salazar and Levi Orta. Performances also played a
large part at this venue.
Many painters have opened the doors to their
studios for group shows. In some instances some
daring curatorial efforts have been the result.
“Open Studio” is the name of this artistic event
that has allowed the public to approach different
studios across the city belonging to artists Reynier
Leyva Novo, Carlos Bustamante, Sandra Pérez,
Iván Capote, Ernesto Rancaño and El Montalván
Estudio. The Montalván Studio is exhibiting works
by some of the most important Cuban printmakers
today: Rafael Zarza, Octavio Irving, Osmeivy
García, Marcel Molina and Liudmila López.
A group of Brazilian artists have been cooking on a
corner of a Centro Habana neighborhood both for
its inhabitants and for those who visited the show.
The work became an exercise in cooking Brazilian
and Cuban food, thereby setting up a strong
communicative bond. Also in the working-class
district of Centro Habana, specifically in the Colón
neighborhood, architecture has been present in a
very significant manner by way of twelve different
projects that aim at initiating improvements for
the inhabitants.
Ancient parts of Havana, neighborhoods where
popular memory has been very visible, have
“Caldoza” 12 Bienal de la Habana,
Photo by Y. del Monte
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been re-dimensioned through video mapping
and therefore have been subjected to new
interpretations through this new way of decoding
old surroundings. Both inhabitants and visitors
have had the opportunity to see those places from
different angles, leaving us with the healthy feeling
that everything can have a wide variety of nuances.
Scattered throughout the city, many performances
are being put on, some of which tie into music and
dance. Uruguayan artist Tamara Cubas’ “Multitud”
is being put on the small stage at the University of
the Arts, and “Thirteen Less Two” by Michelangelo
Pistoletto, at the Iglesia de Paula Church) with
the collaboration of the Ars Longa Early Music
Ensemble and Teresa Paz, its director, based on a
Luis Alberto Mariño composition.
There is no doubt that the Biennial has decided to
make an intervention on the city in an intensive
way and to salvage the stellar moments and
details of its past. Along these lines is the splendid
Kadir López project called “Havana Lights.” It is
an attempt at reanimating and also dialoguing
ironically about things lost that can still be rescued.
In this instance, Kadir’s target is the restoration
of eleven neon advertising signs that have been
placed in front of several movie theaters, which
were their original locations. Having fallen into
disuse, their visual connection was broken, so
under this conception, the neon signs have been
conceived as artworks in themselves.
Touring around Havana these days gives you a true
sense of how this year’s Biennial has given us new
rhythms and new aspirations for a city that seeks
to transform itself.
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National Museum of Fine Arts (Museo
Nacional de Bellas Artes),
Photo by Y. del Monte
The 12th Havana Biennial Continues
by Margaret Atkins
The central courtyard of the National Museum
of Fine Arts (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes) is
usually a tranquil and silent spot. Not today. The
Biennial has just gotten under way today and
the museum is exhibiting the work of one of the
most important conceptual artists from Cuba
and Latin America: Wilfredo Prieto. The show is
called Ping-Pong Cuadrícula, showing a group
of art pieces scattered throughout the length of
the courtyard, many of which have never before
been shown in Cuba. The works are astonishingly
simple. But any Cuban has to smile when looking
at a perfect cube of watermelon that the artist has
called Políticamente Correcto [Politically Correct]
or when he dares to exhibit as if it were on an altar
the popular Pan con Pan, something like “bread
& bread sandwich.” Many have come to see the
exhibition and are wandering about the courtyard.
Some have maps in hand so that they will know
where to find certain pieces. Others who are less
prepared are set to discover the work as if it were
part of a treasure hunt.
Accompanying the work, you can hear conversations
and encounters, laughter, thirst quenched with
water or beer, stops along the Biennial route
where every exhibition is a milestone. Those who
have come tell stories about what they have seen
and they invite other people to go. Upstairs in the
temporary exhibits halls, Gustavo Pérez Monzón’s
show puts the younger generations of Cubans in
touch with a legendary artist about whom much
has been said and very little has been seen in Cuba
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for a good many decades. Across the room, Tomás
Sánchez’ lovely landscapes are hanging—they
really speak to me because they touch on my own
sensibilities. They are enormous paintings, full of
details, exquisitely painted and with huge blank
spaces that startle and at the same time calm me.
But there isn’t enough time to spend in lengthy
contemplations because I have to leave, practically
fly to the Spanish Embassy where Estrictamente
Personal [Strictly personal] is the collective project
being shown. As I arrive, Cirenaica Moreira, curator
of the show, is already bleeding over her dress
while exercising on the treadmill. It’s some kind
of macabre gym! This impressive performance is
just the aperitif for what follows, where the artist
will be kissing 60 volunteers, each for a minute at
a time, through a protective latex layer (a condom).
This Exercise in Polygamy is done with members
of the audience that approach to be kissed by
the artist, to be photographed doing it and to
have these images subsequently exhibited. Men,
women, young people and those who are not so
young are participating in the event.
Ascending the marble staircase crammed with
sweaty bodies, you bump into an installation:
a plastic shower fills with steam (luckily fake) a
bathroom that you inevitably must walk through.
Continuing our ascent to the next floor, Grethell
Rasúa is drawing some of her own blood to write a
prayer for pardon on a white table. A bit later, while
Cirenaica is kissing the volunteers on the marble
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stairs of the Embassy, a room on the second floor witnesses yet another performance. Accompanied
by Lázaro Saavedra, Grethell Rasúa extends a line from the white surface of a wall until infinity, going
over railings, floors, steps… At the end of the room, Broselianda Hernández gives us her Soledad Pública
[Public Solitude] in short videos that movie the viewer for the undeniable expressive capacity of the
actress and because I’ve got a feeling that her solitude is genuine.
When we leave, it is nighttime. I pause to watch Carlos Garaicoa’s intervention on the broad sidewalk
surrounding part of the Dionisio Velasco Palace, which today houses the Spanish Embassy. There are
still a lot of people in the streets. They make appointments and decide on itineraries. Some of them
would like to be everywhere so that they don’t miss anything. Others are exhausted, thinking only about
getting home soon. But the Biennial continues.
“Expo Ping Pong” 12 Bienal de la Habana,
Photo by Y. del Monte
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ZONA FRANCA
megashow of Cuban art
by Victoria Alcalá
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Spending the day in La Cabaña Fortress on the
other side of Havana Bay means you are going to
be losing the unique surprises awaiting you all
over the city, such as the performance of René
Francisco Rodríguez, winner of the National Visual
Arts Prize, who walks up and down O’Reilly Street
in the guise of President Barack Obama, even
speaking in English. Quite a lot of people thought
he was the real thing and they started taking
his picture on their cell phones and texting the
amazing news to their friends. There is also the
energizing and exciting Michelangelo Pistoletto
show in Cathedral Square. But it is definitely worth
your while to get away from the hubbub of the city
and escape to the peaceful setting of the ancient
colonial fortress where you will also be in for a
few surprises at the super-exhibition of Cuban art
created in the last five years.
work, covering the widest range of esthetics,
philosophies, techniques, dimensions and media.
Hyped as the largest Cuban art show of all time,
Zona Franca takes over La Cabaña as it did at the
11th Biennial, but this time the curating is more
thought-out and intentional. The organizers
have announced several central themes: identity,
memory, the building of history, territory,
communication and thought on art history
itself. There aree over 240 artists showing their
The conflictive relationship with history (both
Cuban and world history) comes to the surface
over and over again and again from Joel Jover’s
series called Generación del Titanic [The Titanic
Greneration] within a sort of “philosophy of
disillusionment,” right up to David Velázquez’s
Ensueños recurrentes [Recurrent Dreams] that has
also been shot full of the mistrust and expectations
As René Francisco’s performance forecast, the
prospects, doubts and questions opened up by
the announcements made by Presidents Obama
and Castro last December 17 to open up relations
between Cuba and the US are translated into
several artistic manifestations. Among them is
Gilberto Frómeta’s A volar [Let’s Fly] although the
artist insists that it’s an homage to children with
their paper boats and planes, and Michel Mirabal’s
Carrera de relevo [Relay Race] who has added to
his usual subject matter of Cuban flags made from
grains of rice, American flags, bullet shells and a
significant request for help to a sculpture of Our
lady of Charity—the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre,
the patroness of Cuba.
Fabelo, Photo Y. del Monte
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for the new era that appears to be opening up for
Cuba. We see a man standing in front of the water
with open arms full of buckets (Súplicas [Plea],
2015) and it makes us wonder what he is awaiting,
what he is wants, what he is asking for.
A different look at history, this time from a stance
in the future, is the one portrayed by Luis Enrique
Camejo who renounces the luminous quality of
space, oil and acrylics and has created well-defined
drawings of the ruins of today’s emblematic sites,
like the National Library, the University of Havana
or the Coppelia ice cream parlor) and he has
fun with three-dimensional representations of
objects discovered and explained by hypothetical
archeologists based on those future ruins (Ruinas
futuras). Alan Argüelles’ series called Atlas (costa
norte de La Habana) [Atlas (Havana’s North Coast]
is a dramatic remembrance of the lives lost at
sea in attempts to reach the US coast. The oil on
canvas appears to show the wave-tossed sea, but
as light is shone on the surface, we can make out a
long list of names that the invisible ink did not let
us see at first glance.
Meanwhile, Reynier Leyva Novo’s El peso de la
Historia [The Weight of History] (inked rectangles
on the wall, but actually an estimate of the
weight of the ink and calculation of the surface
it occupies, based on books and documents
essential to world and Cuban history); Duvier
del Dago’s Con la historia no se juega [There’s no
Fooling Around with History] and La historia es de
quien la cuenta {History Belongs to Those Who Tell
It] all announce with their very titles the artists’
interest in the wrenching, contradictory and
worrying events that eventually go to Academia
crystallized as History. This concern goes beyond
national elements in Agustín Hernández’s and
Reynerio Tamayo’s installation The Drone Wars;
in Frank Martínez’s startling Halloween, proof of
how powerful suggestion can be; and in Andrés
Serrano’s supportive approach to the summum
of “people without history” of his excellent
photographs of street-people called Residents of
New York.
(permit included), and Munch’s powerful The
Scream becomes the Creole “¡Alabao!” true stage
productions that Cubanize Western art. In a
similar vein, Zenén Vizcaíno inserts characters
from The Anatomy Lesson or The Death of Marat
into unexpected contexts in Ángeles caídos [Fallen
Angels].
Other works that revolve around the subject of art
itself include Octavio Irving Hernández Jiménez’s
Dime con quién andas... [Birds of a feather…];
Tomás “Johnny” Núñez’s Renaissance; Jorge Luis
Santos’ Work in Progress, installations of a painter’s
studio or workshop in full activity; and another
installation, El peso leve de todo lo creado [The Light
Weight of All that Is Created] by José Manuel Fors,
who reduces a large part of literary and artistic
creation into bundles of recyclable paper.
Many artists persist in their usual modes of creation,
such as Flora Fong who proudly exhibits her work
together with the efforts of her two sons; Mario
García Portela and his interiorized landscapes A
dos tiempos [Two-strole]; Eduardo Roca (Choco)
and Santiago Rodríguez Olazábal, who veer away
Abstraction, a chapter in Cuban art that insists in
demonstrating its vitality, is represented at the
group shows Gritos del silencio {Shouts in Silence},
where several generations come together, and
Quiero ser lo que puedas ver [I Want to Be What
You Can See] (photography), and in solo shows
by Pedro de Oraá (Abstractivos) and Rigoberto
Mena (RAKA 200), just to mention two artists who
possess completely different esthetics.
Freely reinterpreting the “classics’ of art history
is an amusing game and makes us think of
Babel, “medieval” tableaus by Rubén Alpízar. It is
composed of two- and three-dimensional pieces
in which Mondrian is inserted onto a zebra, Jesus
performs miracles as a self-employed businessman
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Stainless, 2015, photo Alex Mene
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from the folksy flavored and superficial view of the
African presence in the Cuban identity; Kcho with
his monumental Pensador [The Thinker} taken
outside,; Roberto Fabelo, the erotic creations
of Cuty; Abel Barroso’s splendid wood prints;
Eduardo Ponjuán’s lighthearted Gone to Beach,
and the always striking photographs of René Peña.
Meanwhile a group of enfants terribles warns us:
No temas a los colores estridentes [Have no fear of
strident colors].
Contemporary media and strategies for
communication grab our attention, for example,
those by Jacqueline Brito, who engages in a play on
the meanings of the word “navigate” in her show
called Redes sociales [Social Networks], Guillermo
Rodríguez Malberti’s lovely piece Colonial
Windows, and Enrique Báster’s abstract work
Overwhelm in which exclusion and censorship rear
a hairy ear in his ingenious Esquema del criterio
suprimido [Scheme of Suppressed Opinion].
Other artists present us with some surprises, like
Arturo Montoto who, in his Jardines invisibles
[Invisible Gardens], encloses landscapes behind
disquieting fences, or Carlos Guzmán, who
mixes video art, painting and installation in his
Toda tristeza es una demolición [All Sadness is a
Demolition], whose combination of a dentist’s chair
and a ship’s propeller in an authentic beautiful
wooded landscape, reminds us of the chance
encounter of an umbrella and a sewing machine
placed on a dissection table in the Surrealist
Lautréamont’s Les Chants de Maldoror. Meanwhile,
Ernesto García Peña seems to hint at Carlos
Enriquez’s Eva saliendo del baño [Eve Coming Out
of the Bathroom] in his paintings on doors.
The early closing of a few of the exhibition halls
prevented me from doing all the rounds and not
having a remote control to activate the video left
me without taking part in Mabel Poblet’s mirror
game (almost as soon as I had arrived I had “missed”
that opportunity with Rachel Valdés). As a farewell
bonus, I was rewarded with an extensive show al
fresco: the slide by Stainless, ingenuous fountains,
figurative, abstract, playful and charming works…
Described as “collateral” to the Biennial because
it doesn’t share the “street” spirit of the event’s
curatorial plan, Zona Franca is an important
representation of the most recent Cuban art
production. It leaves one’s soul ready (even if the
body is exhausted) for the next art marathon. That
will be another story.
Performance “La Perla negra“, photo Alex Mene
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“Conga” - Casa Blanca, photo by Ana Lorena
Casablanca in the 12th Havana Biennial
by Margaret Atkins
I’m out walking along the Avenida del Puerto after
a long day at work. The ever-present tourists
are strolling slowly along the sidewalk. Pigeons
frightened by the chiming bells of the Greek
Orthodox Cathedral are frantically flapping in
unison and starting their circular flight through the
skies over San Francisco Square. I am remembering
that today, May 22, is Saint Rita of Cascia’s feast
day. Her sculpted image stands guard at one of the
side entrances of the convent that has given its
name to the square. It’s nothing strange that my
mind starts to perambulate at this very moment
towards the world of icons and images. I’m on
my way to Casablanca, one of the venues for the
Havana Biennial, the most important event in Cuba
for contemporary art.
dares to sit on them either because the sun is still
unforgiving or because accustomed as we are to
the traditional viewer/artwork relationship, this
seems sacrosanct to us. Once the initial surprise
is over, the more irreverent among us decides to
flop down, glasses ready, and get a picture taken.
And when nighttime takes over the afternoon,
foot-weary visitors start fighting over the chairs
to sit down. This is the first stoop of what was to
become an adventurous couple of hours walking
all over the town that has been transformed into
an art gallery.
I cross the bay in a ferry, the regular mode of
transportation from one side of the great pocket of
ocean water to the other. They say that its depths
shelter treasure from colonial times. Today the
ferry seems unusually slow, carrying more than
its usual load of local passengers. I see French and
Austrians, Latin Americans, and Cubans, of course.
There are many cameras documenting the brief
crossing.
We are met by an esplanade when we land and it’s
covered by 72 folding wooden and canvas chairs
imprinted with lovely designs, the work of Chilean
artist Guisela Munita. For a long time nobody
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Conga - Casa Blanca, photo by Ana Lorena
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72 folding wooden and canvas chairs imprinted with lovely designs,
the work of Chilean artist Guisela Munita, photo by Y. del Monte
At first glance, the most remarkable sight is the ancient Hershey train car, part of the electric train that,
for better or worse, is part of Casablanca tradition. When we arrive it still hasn’t been opened for the
public and so I decide to explore the recently painted train station, which on this sweltering afternoon,
is providing shade not for passengers en route to Matanzas but instead for a mixed bag of artists,
townsfolk and gawkers who want to know who the short man dressed in a white shirt and black jacket
is. He is surrounded by reporters. As I watch and listen I find out he is Daniel Buren, a famous French
conceptual artist who wanted to leave his mark on this side of Havana Bay. He has left us a restored
railroad station as a souvenir of his visit to Cuba.
Hershey train , photo by Y. del Monte
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newspaper La Voz de Casablanca is being hawked
on the street, like hotcakes. It has been reborn
after a silence lasting 70 years. Exhausted, I sit
down to read it and to take a drink of water inside
the old Hershey train car which by now has been
opened as part of the AI&P (Art, Industry and
Landscape) cultural project. I love the newspaper’s
lovely photos.
Daniel Buren, Jorge Ferandez, Michelangelo Pisoleto 12
Bienal de la Habana, photo by Y. del Monte
In front of the station there is a small park and
there, using a portable printing press, young
Mexicans representing the graphic arts workshop
La curtiduría are producing small engravings on
paper and distributing them free of charge. It is
a successful enterprise. Adults bring T-shirts to
be printed with souvenirs of the Biennial. They
are told they will take a few days to dry and that
this isn’t the best way to be doing it, but they insist
and the Mexicans give in, much to the T-shirt
owner’ satisfaction. Likewise some kids who aren’t
wearing shirts because of the heat get them to
print images on their skin. They exhibit these like
trophies in the town’s central park, which is up the
hill dominated by Mauricio Abad’s installation. We
stop to chat with this young Cuban artist. His work
is called Gamers OK, and it shows in real time
the casualties suffered by the Gamers de Cuba
community, a group of around 15,000 avid Cuban
videogame players.
As I write this report, my head is still reverberating
with the echoes of the genuine Conga, whose
drums heralded the start of the Havana Biennial,
and which took place in the seaside town of
Casablanca. Joining the Conga, I had the sensation
of being swept up in something that is really
genuine and spontaneous. It’s really remarkable
how this popular manifestation worked to bring
people together. Neighbors sat by their front
doors or hung over their balconies, constantly
interacting. Everyone admired the leader who
never for one single moment let the energy of
the percussion wane. The audience enjoying this
spectacle included all ages and walks of life.
I travel back across the Bay, much like someone
crossing the ocean. Christ watches me from the
Casablanca hill. Until June 22, the Havana Biennial
lies at His feet.
The din of the comparsa interrupts our conversation
with Mauricio. This is being prepared before our
eyes with dancers and musicians, young people
disguised with giant papier-mâché heads of black
women, carrying signs identifying them as Los
componedores de la Batea.” The comparsa is being
followed by townsfolk and visitors, dancing and
laughing their way through Casablanca streets.
Later, the official inauguration takes place with
speeches and thanks, but I don’t get to see it
because I am climbing the stairs that leads to
the Christ of Havana, searching for more art and
artists. The stairs wind their way among houses,
almost as if they were a part of them, and from
above you can see Casablanca residents sitting on
their rooftops, enjoying the unusual spectacle of
hundreds of visitors wandering around, and the
lovely sunset over Havana Bay.
Twenty-five art projects make up this section of the
Havana Biennial in Casablanca: Cuban and foreign
artists with their installations, interventions,
murals, audiovisuals, performances, sculptures,
community projects. The pilot edition of the local
photo by Y. del Monte
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What lies
beyond
wALL?
the
12TH HAVANA BIENNIAL
by Margaret Atkins
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PRODUCED “Resaca”,
BY
by Arlés del Río , photo .COM
by Alex Mene
photo by Ana Lorena
This seems to be the question that many visitors from the US (who are already starting to fill Havana
streets) are asking themselves, discovering, in situ, that “the devil is not so black as he is painted.” One of
the many answers to that query is the great al fresco exhibition that Juan Delgado Calzadilla (Juanito) has
organized for the second time in a Biennial, aided and abetted by Cuban and international artists. Detrás
del muro, or Behind the Wall, there is a vigorous and audacious artistic movement as well as well-versed
and open-minded audiences who are capable of interacting with art in an inquisitive, self-assured and
natural manner.
Touring the Malecón, from La Punta to Maceo Park on inaugural Sunday. May 24, 2015, was a bona fide
festivity. People were out to “enjoy” the Biennial, to see, to ask, to smell, to touch and, in short, to take
part in and be a part of this art, which under a clear-sighted curatorial principle, has overrun the streets
of the city. So it was nothing unusual to see entire families, grandparents with their grandkids, couples
hand-in-hand, everyone sharing the space with artists, winners of the National Literature Prize, such as
Nancy Morejón and Reynaldo González, critic Gerardo Mosquera who had a hand in legitimizing young
art in the 1980s, musicologist Miriam Escudero or Deputy Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas who was
going up and down, smiling broadly and with his cell phone glued to his ear, to all intents and purposes
like someone in one of the performance pieces.
“Ocidente con esteroides” by Stainless, photo by Ana Lorena
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“cubo azul” by Rachel Valdés , photo by Alex Mene
Turning off the Prado onto the Malecón, I had my first surprise. Was that light post always there? A
group of nosey parkers confirmed my suspicions that this was “an artwork in the Biennial.” That’s how
I found Rafael Villares’ Árbol de luz [Tree of Light] made up of lights from 15 different countries listed
at the foot of the “tree,” and which passersby identified at will. Accompanied by his parents, wife and
even his baby daughter, the artist was answering questions and slyly assuring people that not marrying
lampposts with countries had been intentional and he was leaving this to the public’s imagination.
photo by Ana Lorena
Close by, in the small La Punta Park, for his work
called Stella, Florencio Gelabert implanted 60
cut and burned tree trunks on mirrors seeking to
remove established esthetic patterns and shake
our automatism. Across the street as we endlessly
zigzagged our way along, Glexis Novoa has filled
the surviving columns of a ruin with exquisite
miniature drawings in El vacio (La Habana)
[Emptiness (Havana)]. Spectators have a good time
finding and deciphering them while a performer
dances passages from the adagio of the second act
of Swan Lake.
Some works have not been identified but this fact
only seems to add to our pleasure. The bronze
studded with shells has Manuel Mendive written
all over it, but other pieces are not so identifiable,
like the strange marine forms made out of orange
gloves; or the piece of cloth held up by blue
ribbons being woven precariously by two young
people inside a metallic structure; or the delicate
white forms “planted” on a shiny surface; or the set
of Chinese chopsticks with the symbols of Cuba
and the US. There is a tall lookout, like a lifeguard
station, which anyone brave enough can climb
and gaze out over the horizon like an ancient
mariner in his crow’s nest. And a huge secretaire
full of drawers that are most difficult to open
hold secrets that are impossible to reveal. A giant
woman’s high-heeled open-toed shoe serves as a
slide for the kids’ enjoyment.
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by Roberto Fabelo, photo by Ana Lorena
Roberto Fabelo gives us Delicatessen, a huge pot that has its surface pierced by a gazillion forks until the
whole thing looks like a repulsive porcupine. But after this first impression, passersby get up close, touch
it and try to look into the interior of the recipient through all the holes. Judging by the blank spaces
visible in a few spots, a few audacious souls have even tried to take home a fork or two as souvenirs.
Arlés del Río’s Resaca fits in so well where it is located that at first you don’t notice how odd it is to see
a beach with sand, parasols, tables and loungers on a section of the Malecón seawall. Even better is the
fact that some people come and rest in the loungers while others install themselves on chairs and tables
with beer, hi-fi equipment, sun hats, just as if this was Varadero, in the secret desire that the installation
never gets taken down, ever. And Inti Hernández’s Balance cubano also invites spectators to take a break
and chat while comfortably settled in rocking chairs.
“resaca” by Arlés del Río’s, photo by Ana Lorena
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Another work that is drawing a lot of attention is
Rachel Valdés Camejo’s Cubo azul. Inside the blue
cube, the play of color, the transparency and the
mirrors give a totally different view of the city and
the ocean. Going inside and coming out again is
like some fantastic journey that everyone would
like to take. Maybe that’s why such long queues
have formed. Both adults and children await their
turns to enter this strange blue paradise.
Further on, I join some gawkers who are bobbing
their heads from one side to another discovering
the double image in Goteo, Ernesto and Javier
Fernández’s ingenious piece of lenticular
photographs. “Lady, look closer. There’s a trick
here.” That’s the advice given me by a young man
in shorts, flip-flops and beer in hand. I wonder
if he has already written his message on Manuel
Hernández Cardona’s Love Is Calling You, a great
opportunity to put graffiti out there for all to see.
Kids have a great time climbing, sliding and
running without hearing the well-known maternal
admonishment of “Don’t touch that!” They’re going
crazy with the ice-skating rink installed by Duke
Riley on The Cold Corner, as it is called, of Malecón
and Belascoaín. At first they’re shy, maybe even a
bit fearful, but in no time they’re sliding, slipping,
tumbling and laughing. It’s happiness wearing the
face of a child!
On the sidewalk by the sea, lookouts, towers,
and even a telescope invite you to survey the
horizon. I wonder what lies beyond the wall. On
the street, a transvestite resembling a Tropicana
cabaret dancer moves around among the passersby. Over there, an asexual figure in red remains
motionless, letting itself be observed. Further on,
a man is embroidering hankies. I thought this was
a spontaneous action and then someone told me
this was Ricardo Rodríguez who used to embroider
handkerchiefs with his hair (that he let grow for
30 years), and then gave the hankies away. But by
then I was too tired to backtrack.
A colorful stall attracts the attention of every
pedestrian who are trying to find out what’s inside.
A little girl, her face full of sunshine, whispers that
when it’s open, they give away toys.
Facing Maceo Park, at the end (or the beginning,
depending on which direction you choose to take)
of “Juanito’s Wall,” there is an impressive piece:
two bows with converging arrows, but you can’t
see their points, only the shafts and feathers. An
elderly gentleman, probably an editor or a designer,
commented to his companion: “That should be the
cover of whatever book is written about future
Cuba-US relations.” Opuestos by Kadir López
and Enrique Valdés, with its infinite suggestions,
is a splendid start or finish to venture into this
exhibition that is in front of, on and beyond the
wall.
““detras del muro”, photo by Ana Lorena
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MABEL POBLET’S PATRIA
at the 12th Biennial
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
Mabel Poblet (Cienfuegos, 1986) has plunged
herself into a terrain where others may go and
get involved, thereby turning them into her
accomplices. She fragments and she mirrors.
Everything she shows us looks like it originated
in a dream, still warm from the high temperatures
that seem to occur in the dream-state. This is an
artist who zeros in on disturbing elements and
transforms them into images and visible objects.
Those of us who have been following Mabel Poblet’s
artistic trajectory from the beginning know she is
talented and daring enough to constantly surpass
our expectations. This why whenever I go to
her shows, I feel something of a secret emotion
making the artist-spectator encounter something
truly special.
On this occasion, when she is opening her
exhibition called Ciudad: Patria [City: Homeland]
at UNEAC’s Villa Manuela Gallery for the 12th
Havana Biennial, my emotions have multiplied.
The artist has decided to be truly radical and
with the accumulated energy that is the result of
the creative path she has been following, she has
created a seductive tension that reigns on the
space she has made an intervention on, providing a
mysterious dynamic that accompanies the viewer
from start to finish.
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From the moment I walk through the gallery’s
doors, I become exposed to these sensations.
Marea alta [High Tide] catches me unawares and
I have only two options: to desist or to cross the
verticality of the waters in which, today, sodium
and other minerals have been replaced by symbolic
elements. Far from diminishing in intensity,
they are strengthened. At first, you feel kind of
disoriented. You don’t know what to do. As your
trust grows, moods undergo rapid changes until
you reach a level of comfort, feeling relief and a
sense of freshness.
I have mentioned sea and water because this
is what this piece composed of small squares
imitating photos or little mirrors, which are never
short on producing reflections and hang from the
ceiling to the floor by strings that form a dense,
pliant curtain.
The first thing I interpreted from the show is
what it told me: “If you want to know my real
homeland, you have to cross this collective issue,
this pain without which we can no longer conceive
ourselves as a group. On the far shore, you will have
new imprints on your skin, your heart slightly sad
and your senses will be infinitely awakened.” The
murmur that is created throughout the voyage
spoke to me of a fractured body whose halves are
yearning constantly for the reunion.
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This brought me to the most conceptual part of the show—painted texts that have been imprinted on
thick, transparent sheets. In front of those texts are twin artifacts, two structures speaking to us of
nostalgia and the reunion, which is identified as blood-ties, race or identity. All of this is transgressed,
recovered in an unstable, aqueous state. And there is the sea once more, the blue that cannot be put
aside, a far-off, yet very clear point, which is separated from us by a circular form that implants a
distance between us and what wants to be touched.
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Completing this account is the current state of
our homeland that is emerging with its defects
and a considerable modicum of pride. Here, the
US Capitol and the Capitolio in Havana are sharing
the same space. This work uses different media,
including sculpture, video and photography,
granting spectacular animation to this sober and
covert dialogue.
One of the most striking things about this show
is that these pieces are beautiful. They feature
a complex beauty that is not communicated
easily; rather it is the result of the crispness and
forthrightness of the process with which it has
been delivered.
Mabel Poblet’s manner of communicating with us
rests in her skill at probing into matters that are
common ground for all human beings. Sometimes
they are quite minimal; other times they are
transcendental. She fabricates metaphors that
often project themselves from some of the more
active parts of our bodies like the hands and
the eyes. Her metaphors never sleep. They flow
like our life’s blood, carrying a huge amount of
information.
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Inaguration day , photo Y. del Monte
At the Wifredo Lam Center: art in the plural
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
The show at the Wifredo Lam Center for
Contemporary Art more than ever on the occasion
of this Twelfth Havana Biennial sings the praises
of this great artist’s pictorial and sociological
thinking. The name of Lam identifies and motivates
this institution’s work. Curatorship has focused on
the concept of plurality and its inclusive tone has
the exhibition remembering the potential of the
city’s suburban areas. It is also opening up specific
areas in order to indicate phenomena that express
the maturity of artistic processes in the face of the
violence generated by the growth of our societies.
of resistance, no holds barred. Son de señas is a
genuine exhortation, a hymn to will that alerts
us to the possibility of transformation without
turning our backs on reality. The performance
showed that it had been rigorously put together
and it especially showed admirable humility on the
part of the collaborating social group (sponsored
by ANSOC, the National Association for the Deaf in
Cuba) as well as the artist herself.
On May 22, 2015, the Center was bursting at the
seams. A great number of those present were
Cuban and international artists, always available
to uncover their critical sense, gearing it towards
the event about to occur. After the usual inaugural
speech, the group performance Son en Señas,
organized by artist Francisca Benítez, took place.
It was an immediate and concrete example of the
aforementioned inclusive spirit.
That undoubtedly moving event aimed to reflect
upon human nature’s capacity for adaptation and
everything positive that may be extracted from
it as long as it is done with an uplifting frame of
mind. It is ready to demonstrate the real value
AFLUENTE (2009)
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Performance “Son de señas” , photo Alex Mene
After the performance, the mass of spectators
quickly went up to the second floor. The feeling
on ground level was that something extremely
dynamic was about to happen, like a sort of ritual
somewhere between frenetic sound and the need
for bodies to launch their energies outwards. The
work revolved around a piece by Nigerian artist
Victor Ekpuk. It was a profound and moving tale
arising from every printed symbol, speaking to
us about a grand ceremony when considered as a
whole.
The main strength of Ekpuk’s work, Abakuas, lies
in the simplicity from which it is born, from the
very contrast provided by the selected materials
(white chalk on a black background), from the
infinite spiritual universe he carries and is able
to materialize at each place he goes. In just a
few square meters, the artist installed his Yoruba
kingdom, made it possible for a group of Cuban
Santeria practitioners to enter it so that the
contents of the ritual and the speculative nature
of the art could fuse and produce moments of
remarkable emotion. Music, dance and a variety
of symbols became for a few minutes the starring
nucleus of the entire exhibition.
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The participation of another group of international
artists also enriched the decentralizing nature of
the substantial visual encounter at the Wifredo
Lam Center. I was particularly impressed by the
work of Gilberto Esparza, Jean Mukendi, Henri
Tauliaut, Josuhe Paglieri, Axel Stock Burger, Ebony
Patterson and Tino Sehgal. In the specific case of
Tino Sehgal, I think that he has become a reference
point in the world for the most advanced, serious
and utilitarian positions taken by performance art
as a language. His themes have been taken over
by his obsession to communicate with spectators,
constantly prioritizing exchanges between the art
and the viewers.
The powerful creative force of Lázaro Saavedra
(2014 National Visual Arts Prizewinner) once again
stands out among Cuban artists. In my opinion he
belongs among the great artists who, regardless
of their media, solely respond to the impulses of
their own energy to work towards demystification.
He named his piece Pez Peo [Fart fish] and I
interpret it as a true hymn to immaterialism. It is
terrain charged with spectacular ironies, where
we gaze upon an apparently empty fishbowl and
we are given a plastic bag filled with water where
supposedly we are going to take the enigmatic
Fart Fish home with us.
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Performance by Víctor Ekpuk (Abakuas), photo Y. del Monte
“E 14 ”, Candelario, photo, Y. del Monte
Before we conclude our tour of the Wifredo
Lam Center during this 12th Biennial, I’d like
to mention the work of another Cuban, Ariel
Candelario Luaces. This is a sculpture that is also
a perfectly inhabitable building constructed in the
back courtyard of the Center. At the opening, the
various rooms in the building were being animated
by charismatic living statues. The rooms manage to
communicate the idea of habitat, something we are
also a part of. The top floors will serve as exhibition
space for young artists who have no place to show
their art. The building will remain at the Center
for one year. Candelario has participated in other
Biennials as part of his MACSAN (Museo de Arte
Contemporáneo de San Agustín) Project. This time
he did it as an individual but at the same time he
represents the spirit of the place with which he is
inextricably associated.
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MICHELANGELO
PISTOLETTO
at
the 12th Havana Biennial
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
photos Y. del Monte
Finally. That indisputably mythical figure of the
visual arts in the second half of the twentieth
century and into the twenty-first century,
Michelangelo Pistoletto, has arrived in Havana. As
soon as I learned of his imminent presence in Cuba,
the first thing that came to mind was something he
said that has always greatly impressed me. In fact it
has helped me to understand various phenomena
in contemporary art. A “thing” is not art: but the
idea expressed by the same “thing” may be. In
those few words, we can summarize the clarity of
this man’s vision of a future full of processes that
are as complex and changeable as art.
I believe that his arrival in Cuba coincides with times
that are undergoing sensitive transformations.
Therefore his presence here and the strength of
his idea, which carries the spirit and the wish to
change things, can be interpreted as a very good
omen. People who were at his performance on
May 23 in Cathedral Square in Havana commented
that they were left with a feeling of having been
renewed, as if somehow hope had grown.
Pistoletto has reached us with a phase of his work
that has been in progress since 2003, The Third
Paradise, which is based on a symbol he created and
called the “New Infinity Sign” that is represented
by a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity
sign. With this, the artist proposes a responsible
social transformation concept, a grand proposition
coalescing art, science, economy, spirituality and
politics into one single idea. In this regard, the
artist has stated: “I do not wish to prophesy a
future impregnated with metaphysical hopes, but
a transformation that involves all the spheres of
life.”
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But these actions by the Italian artist from
Turin do not only impress for the content of the
extraordinary messages being transmitted; they
also impress because of the expansion of forms,
for the beauty they generate in terms of colors and
structures, and also for the intensity brought to
them by the people. For this project, the choice of
location seems to be one of the basic concerns. It
becomes a kind of essential mirror reflecting every
single intention.
For me, the thing that has the most impact on me is
that this infinity symbol, which in every presentation
becomes the protagonist in the performance, has
the ability to adapt to the substances or objects
that have been chosen to represent it. Its new face
is incarnated in extraordinary equilibrium, leaving
the gift of images having great visual power.
Interestingly, at the end of 2014, Pistoletto’s work
had an important connection with Cuba, although
without the presence of the artist. The date was
December 16, the day prior to the announcement
of Cuba-US renewal of diplomatic relations. For
the first time in Cuba, off Havana’s coast, the Third
Paradise symbol made its appearance, recreated
with small and medium-sized boats constantly
moving in the sea, reaching unprecedented
proportions.
I have always thought that the existence of good
documentation preparing the viewer prior to
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having to deal with the unknown territory of
a performance can become an element to be
considered for its subsequent success.
In this regard, Pistoletto’s performance in Havana
had this desired documentation, which was made
available to the public at the Fototeca de Cuba in
Plaza Vieja. On the top floor of the institution, an
exhibition was set up with posters documenting
the project’s trajectory all over the world and
through the regions of Italy. A model of the symbol
was on display, made up of the various cymbals
used by children in different performances. In this
way, witnessing the execution of the piece turned
into immediate nostalgia.
The cobblestones of Cathedral Square were
certainly reverberating with energy, with an
intangible force that doesn’t resign itself to being
still and goes on to found intentions and insert
them where they become vital. The Third Paradise
sign was again formed with cymbals and this time
they were played by musicians, populating its
structure with sound. The following day, Pistoletto
made a presentation at the Iglesia de Paula Church
with the performance of “Thirteen Less Two”
in collaboration with the Arc Longa Early Music
Ensemble, based on a composition by Luis Alberto
Mariño. At the end of the musical performance, the
artist began to smash a number of large mirrors
with a club, leaving a stunned Cuban audience.
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Photos by Ana Lorena
Wilfredo
Prieto
at the 12th Biennial
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
It is always a real privilege to view the work of an
artist who is constantly been communicating the
fact that he is deeply convinced about his own
work. A case in point is Cuban artist Wilfredo
Prieto, (Sancti Spíritus, 1978). His journey down the
path of art has been consolidated on the basis of
that conviction. Every one of his artworks achieves
a sense of spontaneity that might be mistaken for
delirium, but manages to carry along with it a dose
of rationality that is able to contain and allow it to
function among the other elements.
At this year’s Twelfth Havana Biennial, Prieto has
taken a remarkably leading role. Not only is his
show in one of the most important and visited
venues of the event (the exterior and entire ground
floor level of the Cuban Art Building of the Museo
Nacional de Bellas Artes) but he has also curated
one of the most talked about and attractive
Biennial exhibitions, Montañas con una esquina
rota. For this show, he took over what I consider
to be the signature piece of the event, a former
bicycle factory that today is in ruins.
His exhibition called Ping-Pong Cuadrícula at
Bellas Artes is a reasonable apprenticeship route
which with a little good will and freeing themselves
of prejudices has viewers following and receiving
some notable benefits from the journey. We think
that this is a sort of global tale which very subtly
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tells us the story of how any object can become
art, as long as between art and reality there is a
mind ready to make this operation possible.
Ping-Pong Cuadrícula draws together multiple
metaphors that are moving in various directions.
One of its strongest virtues is that one metaphor
does not allow itself to get trapped by another and
slightest trace of rhetoric. The hooks are practically
invisible and follow dynamics very rarely attained.
The artist’s abundant ingenuity is no drawback
since the actions have been supported by the
undeniable weight of experience. Wilfredo manages
to go from a large freight truck to fragments of
scattered glass without anything getting fractured
on the way, pulling on the imaginary thread that
tautens spaces and charging them with emotion.
Montaña con río, Sí/No, Dos zapatos y dos medias,
Matrioska, Una de cal otra de arena, and Pan con
Pan are some of his pieces that lead us along the
channels set up by the artist, who as the perfect
manipulator, will be seated quietly awaiting at the
end of the road. These moments that are captured
with precision, form a retrospective glance at
the trajectory that has described his thinking. It
is worth pointing out that these works have also
been chosen keeping in mind that their practical
insertion into a space with some limitations.
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Some of his work is closely associated with sculpture, while other areas are much closer to performance
and installations art given their expansive nature. At any rate, those of us who have had the pleasure
many times of throwing a stone into the water know what is unleashed upon impact with the surface.
Similarly, his objects seem to achieve those effects on the viewers’ subjectivity.
Returning to his work as curator for Montañas con una esquina rota, when you take in this very
original exhibition that relies heavily on the actual nature of the location he selected (ruins), behind
the indisputable value of the pieces created by renowned artists from all over the world and brought
together here for the occasion, the vigorous visual brand of Wilfredo Prieto emerges as if, when all is
said and done, this ends up being necessary and unyielding.
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MAURICIO ABAD
at the12th Havana Biennial
Photos by Ana Lorena
by Ricardo Alberto Pérez
One Cuban artist invited to show at the official
exhibition during this year’s Twelfth Havana
Biennial is Mauricio Abad (Havana, 1985). In
recent years, he has explored new technologies
in order to insert them again and again into the
creative ambience of Cuba. We have seen him
creating video art and using other expressions
and languages integrated consistently into other
art forms such as music, dance and architecture.
Another creative alternative project by Mauricio is
the irony-tinged aBADtv.
Abad was one of the leading artists at the
inauguration of the Biennial on the morning of
May 22, 2015 at the unique setting provided by
the picturesque town of Casablanca, on the other
side of Havana Bay, whose hill is the location of the
gigantic statue of Christ.
He shared center stage with other talented young
Cuban artists, such as Elizabeth Cerviño and José
Eduardo Yaque, and prestigious figures from other
countries such as Ewan Atkinson, Marte Johnslien
and Daniel Buren who presented his performance
at the town’s railroad station. The electric train, a
veritable relic and one of the oldest in the Americas,
is still working.
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Mauricio Abad’s artwork on this occasion is very tied in to his principal obsessions, but I believe that he
has developed them with more complexity, especially in terms of their social impact and the considerable
number of people involved. The installation is called Gamers O.K. A LED screen displays the phrase
“Muertos por tiros de balas” (Killed by gun shots) while these dead are being tallied on the screen. These
casualties come from video games being executed on an underground network connecting fifteen
thousand users who are being monitored by that same LED screen.
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The main contribution of Gamers O.K. is the artist’s
capacity for commenting from a metaphorical
position on some of those hidden processes
occurring today in Cuba. As yet, these processes
are not perceptible to most of the population. It is
interesting to see how the visual impact that the
piece generates mutates into a solid reflection.
The artist’s participation in the Biennial
not only extends to other locations but to
different languages and expressive means. This
demonstrates that he is sensitive enough and
well-versed in communicating through a variety
of channels. At another show he exhibits Para
lucir hay que sufrir, which was put together at
Carlos Bustamante’s studio at Calle 1ra No. 15603
entre 156 y 156A in Reparto Náutico. He shares the
exhibition with Bustamante as well as with Lilian
Broche, Yaima Pardo and Denis Izquierdo.
One of Abad’s pieces in Para lucir hay que sufrir
[To Look Good You Have to Suffer] is “Al lado este
del azul” [On the east side of the Blue]. The work
is composed of 150 photographs placed in a black
box. They were taken on the street that separates
the Los Angeles International Airport and the coast.
Close to the airport is a Butterfly Habitat Preserve,
opened in 1973, specifically to protect the federally
designated endangered species of El Segundo Blue
Butterfly. The preserve is well closed-off but it is
odd that nobody seems to have ever spotted the
butterflies. This all goes to prove that the myth is
often stronger than reality.
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The other Abad piece that caught my interest
was Mi Nube [My Cloud], composed of a series of
portraits painted from photos he received from
some of the 15,000 users involved in Gamers O.K.,
the work he has presented in Casablanca. A firm
connection is established between two artworks
and the secret becomes public, while the subjective
becomes objective.
In a third show, Abad participates with Arsenal
located in a four-story building which houses
Sandra Pérez Lozano’s studio in the heart of Centro
Habana at Calle Cárdenas # 51, esquina Corrales.
Other important Cuban artists also take part:
Javier Castro, Susana Pilar, Michel Pou, Álvaro José
Brunet, Sandra Ramos, Adonis Flores and Reinier
Leyva Novo. The work is called Rapunzel. It is a rag
doll, four meters tall, with seven-meter long braids
woven in seven different colors and that are thrown
over the balcony to the ground outside. Abad and
the other artists showing here have focused on the
central theme of violence. Mauricio says that his
work also talks about relationships between artists
at the Biennial.
This Rapunzel is transformed into a kind of African
deity (Oya) who bears the load of the consequences
of violence. She is a giant replica of the dolls that
are commonly used in Santeria rituals.
Mauricio Abad’s work has clearly enriched the
Biennial this year and there is no doubt that he
invites us to reflect on our ties with the important
element of memory and how it transfers to
individuals and groups.
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VISUAL ARTS
Arte-Facto
Centro Cultural Cinematográfico Icaic
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Bifurcaciones. Group exhibition
bringing
together
three
representative
contemporary
industrial
design
groups.
Recognized visual artists work on
a project that would like to reprise,
once more, the fuzzy line between
design and art.
Makuri Hirogeru, Exhibition and
Performance (live-painting) by
four young Japanese avant-garde
artists who absorb the essence
of Cuba, combining works of
renowned designer Kiyoshi Awazu
(1929-2009) with their own.
Saturday June 6 & 20, 1pm, Casa
de Asia
Workshop:
Saturday June 6, 3:30-5pm, Calle
de Madera, Plaza de Armas
Concert and Performance:
Sunday, June 14, 5pm, Casa del
ALBA Cultural
Concert by guitarist Shin Sasakubo
Lo uno y lo múltiple, group
exhibitiion curated by Onedys
Calvo and Susana García Pino.
Artists: Alejandro Sainz, Daniel
Rodríguez, Eduardo Leyva Herrera,
Hanoi Pérez, Jesús Hernández
(Güero), Julio César Peña, Marcel
Molina,
Orlando
Montalbán,
Osmeivy Ortega, Randy Moreno
Limonta, Salomé García Bacallao,
Simone García Bacallao, Yillian
Marie Torres Gómez, Leo Canosa,
Mauro Coca and La Marca StudioGallery.
THROUGH
JUNE 23
THROUGH
JUNE 23
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Edificio de Arte Universal (exteriores) y vestíbulo
del Centro de Información Antonio Rodríguez
Morey Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Arquitectura sin arquitectos,
by artist artista Sandra Calvo,
reveals serious research on life in
the “solares” or Havana tenement
buildings.
Territorios. Group show of 20
young artists.
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Ruidos salvajes, show with over
90 pieces (from 1960-2015) from
the permanent collection of The
Bronx Museum, which focus on
identity, city life and community.
Los
ardientes
by
Sergio
Hernández, one of the most
important
visual
artists
in
Mexico, reveals his mastery of
painting and the graphic arts,
manifestations he shares with
sculpture, printmaking, ceramics
and drawing, and his taste for
intense colors.
Galería Galiano
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Zona Franca is the largest Cuban
art exhibition ever, displaying the
recent work of over 200 Cuban
artists from different generations,
espousing a variety of esthetics
and in a wide range of media.
Edificio de Arte Universal.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Casa de la Obra Pía
Mover la escena revolves around
the topic of fashion associating
it with the contemporary issues
governing society by providing a
space for dialogue.
Complejo Morro- Cabaña
Casa del Benemérito de las Américas Benito Juárez
THROUGH
JUNE 23
La primera colá, for the first time
at a Havana Biennale and in the
same show, will allow us to view
the work of recipients of National
Visual Arts of Cuba awards.
Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas y Diseño
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Biblioteca Pública Rubén Martínez Villena
OPENS JUNE
4, 4PM
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Los síntomas del engaño by
Luis Enrique López shows us 10
poisonous compounds that were
scientifically created from toxic
Cuban plants, directed towards
10 contemporary Cuban artists.
Posters and video documentation
of the process used to create
them are part of the ads for the
products. With friends like these,
who needs enemies?
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Edificio de Arte Cubano.
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Embajada de España
Pintura is the Tomás Sánchez
show including 12 never-before
shown canvases, mainly in large
formats, where he combines
natural landscapes with garbage
dumps.
This is a significant
direction taken by this Cuban
painter who has not had a show in
30 years at Bellas Artes.
Tramas
by
Gustavo
Pérez
Monzón who showed at the
historic Volumen I which marked
a milestone in Cuban art of the
1980s, reveals 76 impressive
drawings and installations.
El mapa del silencio a show by
the former Carpintero Alexandre
Arrechea was especially planned
for being shown at Bellas Artes;
it includes two large format
watercolors,
video-projection,
a wall-hanging and a mural
measuring 25 meters on the wall
of the gallery. Curator Corina
Matamoros tells us that it states
what hasn’t yet been said, even
though it is obvious.
Ping-pong cuadrícula, Wilfredo
Prieto’s show has both large and
small format works where the
artista insists on using day-to-day
objects in order to communicate
new meanings.
Poesía pasajera by Raúl Cordero,
video art and video installation
pioneer in Cuba, shows us a series
of his paintings that were begun in
2011 and which he is still working
on.
Malecón, desde Prado hasta el parque Maceo
THROUGH
JUNE 23
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Estrictamente personal. Curated
by Cirenaica Moreira, this group
project includes photography,
video art, installations and
performances by artists Consuelo
Castañeda, Marta María Pérez,
Sandra
Ceballos,
Broselianda
Hernández, Cirenaica Moreira,
Glenda León, Grethell Rasúa,
Susana Pilar Delahante and Mabel
Poblet.
Factoría Habana
THROUGHOUT Entropía, by
JUNIO
Rodríguez.
René
Francisco
The Mission, by Rocío García.
Deconstrucción del horizonte, by
Carlos Montes de Oca.
Galería Artis
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Persistencia, works by Roberto
Fabelo.
Galería Habana
THROUGH
JUNE 20
Crack. Group show with works
by Tonel, Ariamna Contino y Alex
Hernández, Felipe Dulzaides, Iván
Capote, Carlos Garaicoa, Roberto
Fabelo,
Yunier
Hernández,
Enrique Báster, Glenda León and
Los Carpinteros.
Hotel Nacional. Sala Taganana
THROUGH
JUNE 23
AB+C, show with works by artists
from the generation of the 1970s,
including Pedro Pablo Oliva, Arturo
Montoto, Nelson Domínguez and
Flora Fong, entre otros.
La Marca
Detrás del muro. Wprks by over
40 artists from Cuba, Germany,
Spain-Gran Canaria, the US,
Ireland,
Colombia,
Panama,
Norway, Morocco, Mexico, Bolivia
and Dominican Republic, in direct
dialogue with the spectators.
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Dulce dolor. Carteles tatuados
includes original posters by Cuban
designers,
their
“flash-card”
versions for tattoos and the final
resulting tattoos done by the La
Marca artists.
Pabexpo. Sala D
THROUGH
JUNE 23
HB is a successful project including drawing, photography, painting, sculpture, performance
and installations by 58 artists who are both novices and veterans and who appeal to both
traditional and experimental concepts: Roberto Fabelo, Manuel Mendive, René Francisco
Rodríguez, Lázaro Saavedra, Los Carpinteros, Carlos Garaicoa, Kcho, Glenda León, Yoan
Capote, Felipe Dulzaides, just to name a few.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Salón Del Monte. Hotel Ambos Mundos
THROUGH JUNE 23
Proyecto Quinqué. Group show focusing on portrait photography with César Vilá, Carlos Vilá, Harold Ferrer,
Benny López, Yailín Alfaro, Alejandro Vázquez, Beatriz Verde Limón and Ángel Vázquez.
Expocuba. Pabellón de la Cultura
THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 1
Miradas reveladoras. An approach
to different moments of the Cuban
Revolution through the work
carried out by a group of excellent
photographers that captured
those moments: Alberto Díaz
Gutiérrez (Korda), Raúl Corrales,
Osvaldo and Roberto Salas, Liborio
Noval, Ernesto Fernández, José
Agraz, Perfecto Romero and Luis
Pierce.
Sociedad Comunidad, Patrimonio y Medio
Ambiente
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Cita con la niebla, by Rafael Omar
Pérez.
Palacio de Lombillo
THROUGH
JUNE 23
Estigmas, by Juan Suárez.
Mapa de las formas inconclusas,
by María Cienfuegos Leiseca.
La
llegada
al
fracaso
by
Antonio Margolles and Sombras
encontradas by Néstor Martí.
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DANCE
Les Sylphides, Celeste & Carmen
Sala Avellaneda. Teatro Nacional
June 20, 26 & 27, 8:30pm; June 21 & 28, 5pm
The Ballet Nacional de Cuba presents: Les Sylphides, choreography by Alicia Alonso based on Mijaíl Fokín’s
original, music by Chopin; Celeste, choreography by Annabelle López Ochoa, music by Tchaikovsky, and
Carmen, choreography and libretto by Alberto Alonso, based on a novella of the same title by Prosper
Mérimée, and libretto by Henry Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy for Georges Bizet’s opera; symphonic suite
composed by Rodion Schedrin, to the Georges Bizet music.
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MUSIC
CONTEMPORARY
FUSION
Club Habana Party
Photo Alex Mene
The contemporary fusion and electronic music
scene has expanded recently as new bars
and clubs have opened party promoters have
organized events in parks and public spaces.
Good live music venues include Bertolt Brecht
(Wed: Interactivo, Sunday: Déjá-vu) and El Sauce
(check out the Sunday afternoon Máquina de la
Melancolía) as well as the newly opened Fábrica
de Arte Cubano which has concerts most nights
Thursday through Sunday as well as impromptu
smaller performances inside.
In Havana’s burgeoning entertainment district
along First Avenue from the Karl Marx theatre to
the aquarium you are spoilt for choice with the
always popular Don Cangreco featuring good live
music (Kelvis Ochoas and David Torrens alternate
Fridays), Las Piedras (insanely busy from 3am) and
El Palio and Melem bar—both featuring different
singers and acts in smaller more intimate venues.
Barbaram Pepito’s Bar
Club Turf
SUNDAYS
Discoteca Onda Retro
Djoy
JUEVES
5 pm
8 pm
Casa Victor Hugo
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
TUESDAYS
Raúl Paz
Djoy
JUNE 20
10 pm
5pm
WEDNESDAYS Qva Libre
Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
5pm
Tesis de Menta
JUNE 20
6 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
SUNDAYS
5 pm
La Máquina de la Melancolía, with
Frank Delgado and Luis Alberto
García
SATURDAYS
Gens
11 pm
Café Corner
THURSDAYS
Diablo Tun Tun
Tesis de Menta
10:30 pm
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Fresa y Chocolate
THURSDAYS
Electronic music
9 pm
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Photo by Alex Mene
SALSA / TIMBA
Casa de la Música Habana
Casa de la Música de Miramar
MONDAYS
11 pm Sur Caribe
MONDAYS
WEDNESDAYS
11 pm Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
WEDNESDAYS
11 pm Sur Caribe
11 pm Adalberto Álvarez y su Son
FRIDAYS
5 pm El Niño y La Verdad
11 pm NG La Banda
THURSDAYS
5 pm Manolito Simonet
FRIDAYS
5 pm El Niño y La Verdad
11 pm NG La Banda
SUNDAYS
5 pm Bamboleo
SUNDAYS
5 pm Bamboleo
Piano Bar Tun Tun
THURSDAYS
11 pm NG La Banda
SATURDAYS
11 pm Manana Club
SUNDAYS
11 pm Nesty y Presencia Light
Jardines del 1830
Azúcar Negra
FRIDAYS
10 pm
Tercera y 8
WEDNESDAYS Alain Daniel
Le Select
Grupo Moncada and their project
Rueda de Casino
FRIDAYS
5 pm
Salón Rojo del Hotel Capri
SUNDAYS
Juan Guillermo
11 pm
Piano Bar Habaneciendo
WEDNESDAYS
THURSDAYS
FRIDAYS
11 pm
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5 pm Osaín del Monte
11 pm Kye 2
11 pm La Alianza
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MUSIC
JAZZ
Jazz Café
Calle 88A No. 306 e/ 3ra y 3ra
A, Miramar. +53 (07) 209-2719
Shows: 10:30pm - 2am
Mellow, sophisticated and freezing due to extreme
air conditioning, the Jazz Café is not only an
excellent place to hear some of Cuba’s top jazz
musicians, but the open-plan design also provides
for a good bar atmosphere if you want to chat.
Less intimate than La Zorra y el Cuervo – located
opposite Melia Cohiba Hotel.
Café Jazz Miramar
Shows: 11 pm - 2am
This new jazz club has quickly established itself as
one of the very best places to hear some of Cuba’s
best musicians jamming. Forget about smoke filled
lounges, this is clean, bright—take the fags outside.
While it is difficult to get the exact schedule and in
any case expect a high level of improvisation when
it is good it is very good. A full house is something
of a mixed house since on occasion you will feel
like holding up your own silence please sign!
Nonetheless it gets the thumbs up from us.
Asociación Cubana de Derechos de Autor Musical
JUNE 18
6 pm
Alexis Bosch (pianist) and Proyecto
Jazz Cubano.
Jardines del teatro Mella
JUNE 30
5pm
Zule Guerra (singer & composer)
and Blues D´Havana
UNEAC
JUNE 11
5 pm
Peña La Esquina del Jazz hosted by
showman Bobby Carcassés.
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MUSIC BOLERO, FOLKLORE, SON & TROVA
Asociación Yoruba de Cuba
SUNDAYS
El Jelengue de Areíto
Los Ibellis (Folkloric group)
MONDAYS
4 pm
Son del Nene
5 pm
Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional
THURSDAYS
TUESDAYS
Conjunto Chappottín
5 pm
Elaín Morales
WEDNESDAYS Trovando, a meeting with good
5pm
SATURDAYS
Waldo Mendoza
5pm
5 pm
trova.
FRIDAYS
Rumberos de Cuba
5 pm
Café Concert El Sauce
JUNE 2, 9, 16,
23, 30
Hotel Telégrafo
Charly Salgado and guest
8 pm
Ivette Cepeda.
FRIDAYS
9:30 pm
Café Teatro Bertolt Brecht
Hurón Azul, UNEAC
Rafael Espín and guests
JUNE 27
SATURDAYS
4 pm
Bolero Night
9 pm
Casa del Alba
Pabellón Cuba
Trovador Gerardo Alfonso
JUNE 19
Peña Tres Tazas with trovador
Silvio Alejandro
FRIDAYS
5 pm
4 pm
Peña El Canto de Todos, with
Vicente Feliú
JUNE 18
6 pm
SATURDAY
4 pm
Casa de la Cultura Comunitaria Mirta Aguirre
Barbaram Pepito’s Bar
Get-together with trovador Ireno
García.
JUNE 28
5 pm
Peña Participo with trovador Juan
Carlos Pérez
SATURDAYS
Yaima Sáez
10pm
Casa de la Cultura de Plaza
Fresa y Chocolate
Peña with Marta Campos.
JUNE 13
TUESDAYS
7 pm
5pm
Trova hosted by Richard Luis and
Eric Méndez
Centro Cultural Habaneciendo
SUNDAYS
Filin with Fausto Durán and guests
3pm
5 pm
Peña La Juntamenta, with trovador
Ángel Quintero.
Casa de la Música Habana
SUNDAYS
Fernando Becquer
10:30pm
Centro Iberoamericano de la Décima
Casa Memorial Salvador Allende
JUNE 26
THURSDAYS
JUNE 6
Duo Ad Libitum
3 pm
JUNE 28
5 pm
El Jardín de la Gorda with trovadors
from every generation.
Yoruba Andabo
5 pm
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CLASSICAL MUSIC
Iglesia de Paula
Organ concert conducted by Moisés Santiesteban, playing works by Antonio de Cabezón,
Claudio Merulo, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck and Andrea Gabriela, among other composers.
JUNE 5
7pm
JUNE 26
7pm
La cara femenina de la música, with the Ensemble Vocal Luna, conducted by Wilmia Verrier
Quiñones, with guest musicians harpist Maite Rodríguez and cellist Alejandro Martínez.
Biblioteca Nacional José Martí
SATURDAYS
Concerts by chamber soloists and ensembles.
4 pm
Casa del ALBA Cultural
En Confluencia, conducted by guitarists Eduardo and Galy Martín.
MAY 10
5 pm
Tarde de Concierto, conducted by soprano Lucy Provedo.
MAY 17
5 pm
Seis por Derecho, dedicated to guitar.
MAY 24
5 pm
Casa Victor Hugo
JUNE 13
Concert by guitarist Mabel González.
5 pm
JUNE 27
Concert by Vocal ELE.
5 pm
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Centro Hispano Americano de Cultura
The Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine, conducted by Leonor Suárez Dulzaides, will play works
from the Renaissance to the present day.
JUNE 4
7 pm
Concert Opera aperta: transdisciplinary concert with the performances of musicians, dancers
and visual artists.
JUNE 13
5 pm
Sala Gonzalo Roig. Palacio del Teatro Lírico Nacional
Cuerda Dominical, with guitarist Luis Manuel Molina.
JUNE 28
5 pm
Teatro Martí
JUNE 18
6 pm
Concert dedicated to the French Revolution. The concert will be presented by Eusebio leal,
Historian of the City of Havana.
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THEATRE
Decamerón
Teatro El Público / Production: Carlos Díaz
Fri & Sat 8:30pm; Sun 5pm
Teatro Trianón
Several stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron are put onstage with more than a hint at
Cuba today. Those who expect nudity galore from Carlos Díaz are in for a surprise.
Mecánica
Macbeth
Argos Teatro / Production: Carlos Celdrán
Fri & Sat 8:30pm; Sun 5pm, Argos Teatro
Compañía Nelson Dorr / Production Nelson
Dorr, Through June 14. Fri & Sat, 8:30pm;
Play written by award-winning Abel González Sun, 5pm. Teatro Mella
Melo.
The experienced playwright Nelson Dorr continues
to revisit the classics respecting the texts but in
constant dialogue with the prsent.
Muertecita de miedo
Through June 18. Tues, Wed, & Thurs, 8:30pm
Sala Adolfo Llauradó
One-man show with Ernesto González Umpierre
(El Flacomímico).
Juicio y condena pública
de Charlotte Corday
Teatro del Silencio / Production: Rubén Sicilia
Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm
Teatro El Sótano
This multi-prized one-woman show suggests a
reinterpretation of the events surrounding the
assassination of the French revolutionary Jean Paul
Marat in 1793, from a contemporary perspective.
You’ve
Las heridas del viento
Compañía teatral Hubert de Blanck /
Production: Orietta Medina
Fri & Sat, 8:30pm; Sun, 5pm
Sala Hubert de Blanck
As in Litoral, in this dramatic comedy by Juan Carlos
Rubio, the death of a father reveals an unknown
past to his son. From laughter to emotions, from
joy to pain, the author asks himself if he truly
makes his own decisions or is he a marionette of
fate.
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III Encuentro de Jóvenes
Pianistas y al Concurso y
Festival Internacional de
Piano Musicalia 2015
June 4-28
Basílica de San Francisco de Asís, Sala Ignacio
Cervantes, Teatro Martí y Oratorio San Felipe
Neri, La Habana Vieja
Teatro Martí
Inaugural Gala. Adam Kent (US);
Alexandre Moutouzkine (Russia);
Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de
Cuba, conducted by Enrique Pérez
Mesa
JUNE 4
6 pm
The Third Encounter of Young Pianists directed by
pianist and professor Salomón Gadles Mikowsky
has scheduled 20 concerts for 24 pianists with
an attractive and varied repertoire of Cuban and
international music. Musicalia 2015 which will be
held at the Oratorio San Felipe Neri will have a jury
chaired by pianist Ulises Hernández and made up
Salomón Gadles Mikowsky, Ninowska FernándezBrito, Antonio Carbonell, Adonis González
and Mauricio Vallina. Besides the competitors’
presentations, master clases, concerts and the
presentation of the books Ignacio Cervantes y la
danza en Cuba by Salomón Gadles Mikowsky and
El legado pianístico pedagógico de Salomón Gadles
Mikowsky by Kookhee Hong are also scheduled.
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Fidel Leal (Cuba)
JUNE 12
6 pm
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Basílica Menor del Convento de
San Francisco de Asís
Ian Yungwook Yoo (South Korea)
JUNE 5
6 pm
Ruiqi Fang (China)
JUNE 13
6 pm
Basílica Menor del Convento de
San Francisco de Asís
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
Adam Kent (US)
JUNE 6
Festival y Concurso de Piano
Musicalia 2015
Drawing of lots, presentation of
the Jury and piano audition for
contestants
JUNE 7
6 pm
11 am
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Lianne Vega
Rivero (Cuba)
JUNE 7
11 am
(Cuba);
Katerina
Teatro Martí
Teatro Martí
JUNE 14
Ian Yungwook Yoo (South Korea);
Aldo
López-Gavilán
(Cuba);
Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de
Cuba, conducted by Enrique Pérez
Mesa
JUNE 7
6 pm
Teatro Martí
JUNE 11
6 pm
6 pm
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
JUNE 15
Jordi López-Roig (Spain); José
Ramón Méndez (Spain); Orquesta
Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba,
conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa
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Madarys Morgan (Cuba); Ruiqi
Fang (China); Orquesta Sinfónica
Nacional de Cuba, conducted by
Enrique Pérez Mesa
Piano competition
9 am
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Oratorio San Felipe Neri
Lyceum Mozartiano de la Habana
Master classes by Ninowska
Fernández-Britto and Antonio
Carbonell
Mauricio Vallina (Cuba)
JUNE 15
2 pm
6 pm
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
4 pm
Basílica Menor del Convento de
San Francisco de Asís
Wenqiao Jiang (China)
JUNE 20
6 pm
Piano competition
JUNE 16
Awards ceremony. Performances
by Darío Martín (Cuba); Edmundo
González (Mexico)
JUNE 20
9 am
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Lyceum Mozartiano de la Habana
JUNE 16
2 pm
Oratorio San Felipe Neri
11 am
Teatro Martí
Tatiana
Tessman
(Russia);
Khowoon Kim (South Korea);
Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de
Cuba, conducted by Enrique Pérez
Mesa
JUNE 21
6 pm
Piano competition
JUNE 17
Estefanía Núñez (Cuba); Harold
Meriño (Cuba)
JUNE 21
Master classes by Ninowska
Fernández-Britto and Mauricio
Vallina
9 am
Lyceum Mozartiano de la Habana
Master classes by Ninowska
Fernández-Britto and Antonio
Carbonell.
Adonis González (Cuba)
JUNE 17
2 pm
6 pm
Master classes by Ninowska
Fernández-Britto
y
Adonis
González
Book
launchings:
Ignacio
Cervantes y la danza en Cuba
by Salomón Gadles Mikowsky;
El legado pianístico pedagógico
de Salomón Gadles Mikowsky
by Kookhee Hong. Opus Habana
magazine Vol. XVI/No. 1 Jun-Dec
2014 (includes an interview with
Salomón Mikowsky).
9 am
2 pm
Teatro Martí
JUNE 18
6 pm
9 am
2 pm
Wenqiao Jiang (China); Jie Yuan
(China);
Orquesta
Sinfónica
Nacional de Cuba, conducted by
Enrique Pérez Mesa
Master classes by Mauricio Vallina
y Adonis González
Master classes by Ninowska
Fernández-Britto and Antonio
Carbonell
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
JUNE 19
6 pm
Gabriel Urgell (Cuba); Edward
Neeman (US); Orquesta Sinfónica
Nacional de Cuba, conducted by
Enrique Pérez Mesa
JUNE 25
6 pm
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Misha Namirovsky (Russia)
JUNE 26
11 am
Basílica Menor del Convento de
San Francisco de Asís
Misha
Namirovsky
(Russia);
Simone Dinnerstein (US); Orquesta
Sinfónica del ISA, attached to the
Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana,
conducted by José Antonio
Méndez
JUNE 27
Lyceum Mozartiano de la Habana
JUNE 19
Mauricio Vallina (Cuba)
JUNE 24
Teatro Martí
Lyceum Mozartiano de la Habana
JUNE 18
Basílica Menor del Convento de
San Francisco de Asís
6 pm
Sala Ignacio Cervantes
Leonardo Gell
Santiago (Cuba)
JUNE 28
11 am
(Cuba);
Francis
Teatro Martí
JUNE 28
6pm
Víctor Díaz (Cuba)
Po-Wei Ger (Taiwan); Orquesta
Sinfónica Nacional de Cuba,
conducted by Enrique Pérez Mesa
6 pm
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EVENTS IN HAVANA
June 16-18, Palacio de Convenciones, Havana
Under the motto of “DESIGN with MEANING” the
International Design Congress of Havana will be
organized in different events that will be dealing
with central themes of the relationship between
design and industry, cultural and social identity,
innovation, sustainable development and training
professionals. The parallel exhibition will be a
good opportunity for companies, design studios,
advertising agencies, designers and creators to
showcase their professional work, projects, design
solutions as well as to advertise products and offer
services.
Coloquio Internacional
Ernest Hemingway
June 18-21
Ambos Mundos Hotel, Havana
The International Ernest Hemingway Colloquium
is dedicated to the study of the work of the great
writer who lived for 21 years at the Finca Vigía on
the outskirts of Havana. It will be headquartered at
the hotel which still conserves the room where he
often stayed. Presented papers eill deal with the
United States in Ernest Hemingway’s trajectory, his
childhood and teen years, relations with publishers
and publishing houses, writers and artists, his life
and work, museology and conservation of the
collections dedicated to the author.
X Festival Internacional Danzón Habana 2015
June 24-28, Mella and América Theaters, Asociación Caribeña de Cuba and Centro Hispano
Americano de Cultura
The event’s central theme will be :Bolero within
Danzón” paying homage to Cubans Ernesto
Lecuona, Rita Montaner, Gonzalo Roig, María
Teresa Vera, Manuel Corona, Rosendo Ruiz Suárez,
Pedro Junco, Tania Castellanos and Adolfo Guzmán
and to Mexicans Agustín Lara, Miguel Aceves Mejía
and Armando Manzanero as well as to Alfredo Sadel
from Venezuela, Danny Rivera from Puerto Rico
and Leo Marini from Argentina. At the same time
the International Danzón Dancing Competition
and the International Bolero Interpretation
Competition will be held. Shows, concerts and
galas will take place in the Mella and América
Theaters, dance activities will be at the Asociación
Caribeña de Cuba ballroom, with famous Cuban
orchestras and performers from other visiting
countries, and the Havana 2015 International Danzón Colloquium at the Centro Hispano Americano de
Cultura, with presentations of papers, master lectures and panel composed of personalities specialized
in music research along with the presentation of CDs, books, journals and audiovisual materials.
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AROUND CUBA
Cucalambeana Country Fair
48 Jornada Cucalambeana, June 26 to July 1, 2015, El Cornito, Las Tunas
Every year, the capital of the northeastern
province of Las Tunas becomes the venue for the
Jornada Cucalambeana in memory of Las Tunasborn poet Juan Cristóbal Nápoles Fajardo (aka El
Cucalambé), the most important Cuban decimista,
country ballad poet, in nineteenth-century Cuba.
A trip to the Cucalambeana Country Fair takes
you a long way off of the regular tourist trail,
but it gives you a unique opportunity to see real
Cuban country folk. Whether you like the cockfighting or not, you have to admit that it plays an
undeniable role in countryside culture and history
of Cuba. And that is what the festival is all about:
keeping alive the music and traditions of the Cuban
countryside.
The event lasts sx days, beginning in late June to
incorporate July 1, the birthdate of El Cucalambé.
It is always held in El Cornito, the home of the poet
that now serves as a hotel on the outskirts of Las
Tunas. A scenic area, there are several sculptures
dedicated to El Cucalambé, an open area for
horseback riding, children’s playgrounds, and
several small plazas.
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The Cucalambeana Fair includes the recital
and singing of décimas, a Spanish stanza of ten
octosyllabic lines created in early-modern Spain
and adopted by the country folk of the Americas.
Repentistas, or improvisers, come from all over
the country to show their talent at this difficult
art at the Justo Vega Competition while children
showcase their talent at the Colorín.
There are also traditional country dances, which
takes place at El Cornito’s plazas. These dances
have a twist—they are competitions between two
teams: the Blue team and the Red team. In fact,
all of the activities held during the festival are
competitions between the Red and Blue teams,
so don’t be surprised to see competitors wearing
costumes, hats and kerchiefs in one of these two
colors.
If cock-fighting and dancing aren’t enough for
you, why not join the audience at the popular
improvisation event where you can contribute to
the poets’ décimas by giving them pie forzados,
phrases prompted by anyone present that the
poets must follow in order to create their poem.
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Experts agree that repentismo, or the improvisation of décimas, requires great talent and quick thinking
nurtured from the cradle.
And don’t forget the beauty pageant. Every year, a girl is chosen girl who best exemplifies the beauty
of a typical country woman (tall, long black hair and olive-skinned). The winner is declared La Flor
de Birama, or The Flower of Birama, and all the other girls are her Petals. During the festival, in their
roles as the Flower and the Petals, the girls attend all of the events wearing the Cuban national dress,
inspiring the poets and composers with their beauty.
For 46 years, the Cucalambeana has celebrated peasant traditions and honored the rich culture of the
Cuban countryside. El Cornito may not be near the top of many tourist agendas, but a visit to the
Cucalambeana is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the traditional culture of the Cuban
countryside in all its glory.
To
read
complete
article
see
http://www.cubaabsolutely.com/Travel/article_general.
php?id=Cucalambeana-country-fair-at-El-Cornito
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AROUND CUBA
Fiestas Sanjuaneras
Through June 6, Trinidad
A local festival where rum-fueled horsemen gallop
through the streets. Held from May 28 to July 6,
the San Juan Festival brings back old traditions of
this region, like the Matanza de la Culebra (Killing
the Snake) on June 13; the San Juan Trinitario
Carnival on June 24 with the usual comparsas,
floats, dancing, games and costume competition;
or the San Pedro Carnival on June 29, also with
comparsas, floats and dancing. The festival closes
on July 6 with the Baile de la Galleta (Cookie Ball), a
dance of traditional music in formal attire and the
exhibition of delicious cookies of different sizes.
Encuentro de Fotografía
Subacuática IMASUB 2015
June 8-15, Parque Nacional Guanahacabibes,
Pinar del Río
The incredibly beautiful underwater landscapes
of the Guanahacabibes National Park abound in
a rich assortment of flora and fauna (barracudas,
parrot fish, lobsters, Moray eels, angel fish,
snappers and crabs) and are the ideal location
for the art of underwater photography because
of the transparency of the waters. The vegetation
features a rich variety of gorgonians, as well as
vast and beautiful colonies of black coral which
cover the cliffs. The seabed offers sharp contrasts
that are ideal for underwater photography thanks
to the crystal-clear waters, which allow a visibility
of up to 30 meters at depths of 25 to 30 meters.
All of this makes it the perfect setting for the
IMASUB 2015 photography competition. open to
underwater photographers from around the world;
the only requirement is that the regulations are
followed and that photos fall into the categories
of fauna, macro, landscape and landscape-withmodel. Three prizes will awarded in each category
plus the Grand Prix for the photographer who
accumulates the greatest amount of points. The
overall winner will be awarded a trophy and a
three-night stay for two people at Maria la Gorda
at half board and five dives per person.
w w w. g a v i o t a - g r u p o . c o m/ . . . / v - e n c u e n t ro internacional-de-fotografia-suacuatica-del-8-al15-de-junio-del-2015
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Havana’s best places to eat
La Guarida
El Atelier
CA
5
Bella Ciao
CA 4+
Café Bohemia
CA
5
Café Laurent
CA 4+
EXPERIMENTAL FUSION
HOMELY ITALIAN
CAFÉ
SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN
Interesting décor, interesting
menu.
Great service, good prices. A
real home from home.
Bohemian feel. Great
sandwiches, salads & juices
Attractive penthouse restaurant
with breezy terrace.
Calle 5 e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-2025
Calle 19 y 72, Playa
(+53) 7-206-1406
Calle San Ignacio #364, Habana
Vieja
Calle M #257, e/ 19 y 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2090
La California
La Casa
Casa Miglis
El Chanchullero CA
CA 5
CA 5
CA
5
5
CUBAN-CREOLE/INTERNATIONAL
CONTEMPORARY FUSION
SWEDISH-CUBAN FUSION
SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN
Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Great fresh pastas.
VIP service. The Robaina family
place. Thurs Sushi night.
Oasis of good food & taste in
Centro Habana
Fabulous value hole in the wall
tapas. Trendy.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro
y Refugio, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863 7510
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo
Vedado
(+53) 7-881-7000
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y
Lagunas, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-864-1486
Teniente Rey #457 bajos, Plaza
del Cristo, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-872-8227
Le Chansonnier CA
El Cocinero
Corte Príncipe CA
4
CA 5
5+
Il Divino
CA 4+
CONTEMPORARY FUSION
INTERNATIONAL
ITALIAN
INTERNATIONAL
Stylish & contemporary with
good food. Expensive.
Industrial chic alfresco rooftop
with a buzzing atmosphere
Sergio’s place. Simple décor,
spectacular food.
Set in huge gardens outside
town. Great for the kids.
Calle J #257 e/ Línea y 15,
Vedado
(+53) 7-832-1576
Calle 26, e/ 11 y 13, Vedado.
(+53) 7-832-2355
Calle 9na esq. a 74, Miramar
(+53) 5-255-9091
Calle Raquel, #50 e/ Esperanza
y Lindero, Arroyo Naranjo
(+53) 7-643-7734
D. Eutimia
Esperanza
La Fontana
La Guarida
CA 5+
CA 4+
CA 4
CA 5+
CUBAN/CREOLE
CUBAN FUSION
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
Absolutely charming. Excellent
Cuban/creole food.
Intimate, idiosyncratic &
charming (not cheap).
Consistently good food,
attentive service. Old school.
Justifiably famous. Follow in
the footsteps of Queen of Spain
Callejón del Chorro #60C, Plaza
de la Catedral, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7 861 1332
Calle 16 #105 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-202-4361
Calle 46 #305 esq. a 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-202-8337
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y
Escobar, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-866-9047
Habana Mia 7
Iván Chef
El Litoral
Nautilus
CA 5
CA 5+
CA 5+
CA 5
INTERNATIONAL GOURMET
SPANISH
INTERNATIONAL
FRENCH/MEDITERRANEAN
Endless summer nights.
Excellent food and service.
Brilliantly creative and rich
food.
Watch the world go by at the
Malecón’s best restaurant.
Imaginative, tasty and
innovative menu.
Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra.
Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2287
Aguacate #9 esq. a Chacón,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-863-9697
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2201
Calle 84 #1116 e/ 11 y 13. Playa
(+53) 5-237-3894
Nazdarovie
Opera
Otra Manera
Río Mar
CA 5+
CA 5
CA 5
CA 5
SOVIET
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
Well designed Soviet décor,
excellent food & good service.
Homely & intimate
environment. Quality food. By
reservation.
Beautiful modern decor.
Interesting menu and good
service.
Contemporary décor. Great
sea-view. Good food.
Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado
(+53) 5-263-1632
(+53) 8-31-2255
Calle #35 e/ 20 y 41, Playa.
(+53) 7-203-8315
Ave. 3raA y Final #11, La Puntilla,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-4838
Santy
Starbien
VIP Havana
Malecon #25, 3rd floor e Prado
y Carcel, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
San Cristóbal
CA 5
CA 5+
CA 5+
CA 5
CUBAN/CREOLE
SUSHI/ORIENTAL
SPANISH/MEDITERRANEAN
SPANISH
Deservedly popular.Consistently
great food. Kitsch décor.
Authentic fisherman’s shack
servicing world-class sushi.
Fabulous food and great service
in the heart of Vedado.
Jordi’s place. Fabulous modern
open-plan space.
San Rafael #469 e/ Lealtad y
Campanario, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-9109
Calle 240A #3023 esq. a 3ra C,
Jaimanitas
(+53) 5-286-7039
Calle 29 #205 e/ B y C, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-0711
Calle 9na #454 e/ E y F, Vedado
(+53) 7-832-0178
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La Guarida
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Contemporary fusion
CostExpensive
www.laguarida.com
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Authentic, charming and intimate
atmosphere in Cuba’s best known
restaurant. Great food, professional. Classy.
Don’t Miss Uma Thurman, Beyoncé or the
Queen of Spain if they happen to be dining
next to you.
Concordia #418 e/ Gervasio y Escobar, Centro
Habana.
(+53) 7-866-9047
El Litoral
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostExpensive
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Quality décor, good service and
great food. Best new place recently opened.
Don’t Miss Drinking a cocktail at sunset
watching the world go by on the Malecón
Malecón #161 e/ K y L, Vedado.
(+53) 7-830-2201
Nazdarovie
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Soviet
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Getting a flavor of Cuban-Soviet history along with babuska’s traditional dishes
in a classy locale.
Don’t miss Vodka sundowners on the
gorgeous terrace overlooking the malecon.
Malecon #25 3rd floor e/ Prado y Carcel, Centro
Habana
(+53) 7-860-2947
Iván Chef Justo
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Spanish
CostExpensive
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Spectacular innovative food. Light
and airy place where it always seems to feel
like Springtime.
Don’t Miss The lightly spiced grilled mahimahi served with organic tomato relish.
Try the suckling pig and stay for the cuatro
leches.
Aguacate #9, Esq. Chacón, Habana Vieja.
(+53) 7-863-9697 / (+53) 5-343-8540
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La California
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Cuban-Creole/International
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Beautiful C19 colonial building.
Popular place with quality food and great
service. Love the fresh pastas.
Dont’t Miss The interesting history of the
neighbourhood, where Chano Pozo (legendary Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist) hung out.
Calle Crespo #55 e/ San Lázaro y Refugio,
Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-7510
Casa Miglis
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Swedish-Cuban fusion
CostExpensive
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for The beautifully designed interior,
warm ambience and Miglis’s personality
create the feeling of an oasis in Central
Havana.
Don’t Miss Chatting with Mr Miglis.
The Skaargan prawns, beef Chilli and
lingonberries.
Lealtad #120 e/ Ánimas y Lagunas, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-864-1486
www.casamiglis.com
Habana Mía 7
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International gourmet
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Stylish and fresh décor give a
Mediterranean feel for long endless summer
nights. Excellent food and service.
Don’t miss Watching the world go by on the
lovely terrace overlooking the ocean.
Paseo #7 altos e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-2287
www.habanamia7.com
Santy
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Sushi
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Fabulous sushi, wonderful ambience
overlooking fishing boats heading out to sea.
World class.
Don’t miss Getting a reservation here.
Calle 240A #3023 esq. 3raC, Jaimanitas
(+53) 5-286-7039
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Atelier
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
Experimental fusion
CostExpensive
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Interesting menu, beautiful building
with great décor and service.
Don’t miss Dinner on the breezy terrace
during summer.
Calle 5ta e/ Paseo y 2, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-2025
[email protected]
La Casa
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International/sushi
CostExpensive
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Warm hospitality and openness
from the four generations of the Robaina
family. Quality food.
Don’t miss Thursday night sushi night.
The Piña Colada.
Calle 30 #865 e/ 26 y 41, Nuevo Vedado.
(+53) 7-881-7000
[email protected]
Otramanera
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Beautiful modern décor and good
food.
Don’t miss Pork rack of ribs in honey. Sweet
& sour sauce and grilled pineapple
Calle 35 #1810 e/ 20 y 41, Playa
(+53) 7-203-8315
[email protected]
[email protected]
Opera
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
Style of food
International
CostModerate
Type of place Private (Paladar)
Food
Ambience
Service
Value
Best for Best for Homely & Intimate
enviroment Quality food in a beautiful
setting.
Don’t miss Fresh pasta, vegetarian dishes
and quail.
Calle 5ta #204 e/ E y F, Vedado
(+53) 5-263-1632 / (+53) 8-31-2255
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Sloppy Joe’s
Havana’s best Bars & Clubs
Traditional Bars
El Floridita
CA 4+
Hemingway’s daiquiri bar.
Touristy but always full of life.
Great cocktails.
Obispo #557 esq. a Monserrate,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1299
Factoría
Plaza Vieja
CA 5
Sloppy
Joe’s Bar
CA 4+
Recently (beautifully)
renovated. Full of history.
Popular. Lacks a little ‘grime’.
Microbrewery. Serves ice
chilled bong of light locally
brewed beer.
San Ignacio esq. a Muralla,
Plaza Vieja, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-4453
Ánimas esq. a Zulueta, Habana
Vieja
(+53) 7-866-7157
Espacios
TaBARish
Cervecería
CA 5+
ANTIGUO ALMACÉN
MADERA Y EL TABACO
DE
LA
Microbrewery located
overlooking the restored docks
Simply brilliant.
Avenida del Puerto y San
Ignacio, La Habana Vieja
Contemporary Bars
El Cocinero
CA 5+
Fabulous rooftop setting, great
service, cool vibe.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
(+53) 7-832-2355
CA 5-
Laid back contemporary bar
with a real buzz in the back
beer-garden.
CA 5
A comfortable place to chat
/ hang out with your friends.
Great service.
Calle 10 #510, e/ 5ta y 31,
Miramar
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
Contemporary bars/clubs
Don Cangrejo CA
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the
oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
CA 4
Über modern and stylish indoor
bar/club. Miami style crowd
and attitude.
Calle 94 #110 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Miramar
(+53) 7-206-4167
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 & 18, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3837
Other
Meliá Sports Bar CA
Kpricho
4
Big-screen sports-bar in
modern outdoor terrace. Good
for sports and live music.
Meliá Habana Hotel
Ave. 3ra e/ 76 y 80, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-8500
Up & Down
CA 5
From the team that brought
you Sangri-La. Attracting
a young party crowd, very
popular. Take a coat.
Calle 3ra y B, Vedado
El Gato Tuerto CA
4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
El Tocororo
CA 5+
X Alfonso’s new cultural center.
Great concerts, funky young
scene.
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
(+53) 5-329-6325
www.facebook.com/fabrica.
deartecubano
(+53) 7-202-9188
(+53) 7-836-3031
Fábrica
de Arte
CA 4+
Expat favorite hangout. Small
indoor bar with live music and
eclectic clientele.
Sangri-La
CA 5
For the cool kids. Basement
bar/club which gets packed at
weekends.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 7-264-8343
Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
Think MTV Unplugged. Hip,
funky and unique with an artsy
Cuban crowd.
Calle O e/ 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
Calle 18 e/ 3ra y 5ta, Miramar
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-1354
Humboldt 52
Fashion
Bar Havana
Café Bar
Madrigal
Gay-friendly
Cabaret
Las Vegas
CA 4
Can get dark and smoky but
great drag show (11pm) from
Divino—one of Cuba’s most
accomplished drag acts.
Infanta #104 e/ 25 y 27, Vedado.
(+53) 7-870-7939
You’ve
CA 5
One of the hottest venues
for gay nightlife in Havana at
present.
Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y
Hospital, Centro Habana.
(+53) 5-330-2989
CA 5
A superb example of
queer class meets camp,
accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
San Juan de Dios, esq. a
Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
CA 4
Pop décor, fancy cocktails, and
the staff’s supercilious attitude,
this is a gathering spot for all
types of folks.
Calle 17 #809 e/ 2 y 4, Vedado
(+53) 7-831-2433
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Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUBS
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with hip & funky
Cubans who like their live music.
Don’t Miss Interactivo playing on a
Wednesday evening.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-1354
Espacios
CA 5-
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Laid back lounge atmosphere in
the garden area which often has live music.
Good turnover of people.
Don’t Miss Ray Fernandez, Tony Avila, Yasek
Mazano playing live sets in the garden.
Calle 10 #510 e/ 5ta y 31, Miramar
(+53) 7-202-2921
Sangri-La
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hanging out with the cool kids on
the Havana Farundula in the most popular
bar/club.
Don’t Miss The best gin and tonic in Havana.
Ave. 21 e/ 36 y 42, Miramar
(+53) 5-264-8343
Bolabana
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Trendy new location near Salón
Rosado de la Tropical
Don’t Miss Hipsters meet the Havana
Farándula
Calle 39 esq. 50, Playa
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Humboldt 52
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
GAY FRIENDLY
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for Hot staff, comfortable setting, and
welcoming vibe at Havana’s first full-time,
openly-gay bar
Don’t Miss The disco ball, a talented opera
duo performing Wednesdays and karaoke
and drag performances other days of the
week
Humboldt #52 e/ Infanta y Hospital,
Centro Habana.
(+53) 5-330-2989
Fábrica de Arte
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for X Alfonso’s superb new cultural
center has something for everyone
Don’t Miss Ne pas manquer Les meilleurs
musiciens cubains
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado
(next to the Puente de Hierro)
Fashion Bar Havana
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
GAY-FRIENDLY
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for A superb example of queer class
meets camp, accompanied by a fantastic
floor show.
Don’t Miss The staff performing after 11pm
San Juan de Dios, esq. a Aguacate, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1676
TaBARish
CA 5
CA TOP PICK
CONTEMPORARY BAR/CLUB
Ambience
Popularity
Entertainment
Service & drinks
Best for A comfortable place to chat / hang
out with your friends. Great service.
Don’t Miss The homemade Russian soup –
just like Matushka makes it.
Calle 20 #503, e/ 5ta y 7ma.
(+53) 7-202-9188
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Basílica Menor de San Francisco de Asís
Havana’s best live music venues
Concert venues
Karl Marx
Theatre
CA 5
World class musicians perform
prestigious concerts in Cuba’s
best equipped venue.
Calle 1ra esq. a 10, Miramar
(+53) 7-203-0801
Basílica San CA
Francisco de Asís
5
A truly beautiful church,
which regularly hosts fabulous
classical music concerts.
Fábrica de Arte CA
5
X Alfonso’s new cultural center.
Great concerts inside (small
and funky) and outside (large
and popular!).
Oficios y Amargura, Plaza de
San Francisco de Asís, Habana
Vieja
Calle 26 e/ 11 y 13, Vedado (next
to the Puente de Hierro)
Jazz Café
Privé Lounge
Sala CovarrubiasCA
5
TEATRO NACIONAL
Recently renovated, one of
Cuba’s most prestigious venues
for a multitude of events.
Paseo y 39, Plaza de la
Revolución.
Jazz
Café Jazz
Miramar
CA 4+
Clean, modern and
atmospheric. Where Cuba’s
best musicians jam and
improvise.
Cine Teatro Miramar
10:30pm – 2am
Ave. 5ta esq. a 94, Miramar
Salsa/Timba
Café Cantante
Mi Habana
CA 4
Attracts the best Cuban
musicians. Recently renovated
with an excellent new sound
system.
Ave. Paseo esq. a 39, Plaza de la
Revolución
(+53) 7-878-4273
Contemporary
Café Teatro
Bertolt Brecht
CA 5
Think MTV Unplugged when
musicians play. Hip, funky and
unique with an artsy Cuban
crowd.
Calle 13 e/ I y J, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-1354
Trova & traditional
Barbaram
Pepito’s Bar
CA 4+
Some of the best Cuban Nueva
Trova musicians perform
in this small and intimate
environment.
CA 5+
Small and intimate lounge
club with great acoustics and
beautiful decor. Jazz groups
play Sunday night.
Galerías de Paseo
Ave. 1ra e/ Paseo y A, Vedado
Calle 88A #306 e/ 3ra y 3raA,
Miramar
(+53) 7-209-2719
Casa de la
Música
Casa de la
Música
CA 4
CA 4
CENTRO HABANA
MIRAMAR
A little rough around the edges
but spacious. For better or
worse, this is ground zero for
the best in Cuban salsa.
Smaller and more up-market
than its newer twin in Centro
Habana. An institution in the
Havana salsa scene.
Galiano e/ Neptuno y
Concordia, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-860-8296/4165
Calle 20 esq. a 35, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-0447
Don Cangrejo CA
4+
Love it/hate it—this is the
oldest Friday night party
place and is still going strong.
Outdoor by the sea.
Ave. 1ra e/ 16 y 18, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3837
Gato Tuerto
CA 4+
Late night place to hear
fabulous bolero singers. Can
get smoky.
Calle O entre 17 y 19, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2224
Calle 26 esq. a Ave. del
Zoológico. Nuevo Vedado
(+53) 7-881-1808
You’ve
CA 4
A staple of Havana’s jazz
scene, the best jazz players
perform here. Somewhat cold
atmosphere-wise.
El Sauce
CA 5-
Great outdoor concert venue to
hear the best in contemporary
& Nueva Trova live in concert.
Ave. 9na #12015 e/ 120 y 130,
Playa
(+53) 7-204-6428
Legendarios
de Guajirito
CA 5
See Buena Vista Social Club
musicians still performing
nightly from 9pm. Touristy but
fabulous.
Zulueta #660 e/ Apodaca y
Gloria, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-861-7761
La Zorra y el
Cuervo
CA 5
Intimate and atmospheric, this
basement jazz club, which you
enter through a red telephone
box, is Cuba’s most famous.
Calle 23 e/ N y O, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-2402
Salón Rosado
de la Tropical
CA 5
The legendary beer garden
where Arsenio tore it up. Look
for a salsa/timba gig on a Sat
night and a Sun matinee.
Ave. 41 esq. a 46, Playa
Times: varies wildly
(+53) 7-203-5322
Teatro de
Bellas Artes
CA 4+
Small intimate venue inside
Cuba’s most prestigious arts
museum. Modern.
Trocadero e/ Zulueta y
Monserrate, Habana Vieja.
CA 4+
Salón 1930
‘Compay Segundo’
Buena Vista Social Club style
set in the grand Hotel Nacional.
Hotel Nacional
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-835-3896
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Havana’s Best Hotels
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Simply the best…
CA
Iberostar
Parque Central
5+
Santa Isabel
CA 5+
Luxurious historic mansion
facing Plaza de Armas
Luxury hotel overlooking
Parque Central
CA 5
Beautifully restored colonial
house.
CA 5
Cuban baroque meets modern
minimalist
Obispo #252, esq. a Cuba,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-862-4127
Oficios #152 esq. a Amargura,
Habana Vieja
Business Hotels
Meliá Cohíba
Palacio del
Marqués...
CA 5
Oasis of polished marble and
professional calm.
Ave Paseo e/ 1ra y 3ra, Vedado
(+53) 7- 833-3636
Meliá Habana
CA 5
Attractive design & extensive
facilities.
CA 4
A must for Hemingway
aficionados
Mercure Sevilla CA
4
Stunning views from the roof
garden restaurant.
Calle Obispo #153 esq. a
Mercaderes, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7- 860-9529
Trocadero #55 entre Prado y
Zulueta, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8560
Economical/Budget Hotels
Bosque
CA 3
On the banks of the Río
Almendares.
Calle 28-A e/ 49-A y 49-B,
Reparto Kohly, Playa
(+53) 7-204-9232
You’ve
Deauville
CA 3
Lack of pretension, great
location.
Galiano e/ Sán Lázaro y
Malecón, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-866-8812
5+
Immensely charming, great
value.
Oficios #53 esq. a Obrapía,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-867-1037
Occidental
Miramar
CA 5
Malecón esq. a Lealtad, Centro
Habana
(+53) 7-862-8061
CA 4+
Good value, large spacious
modern rooms.
Ave. 3ra y 70, Miramar
(+53) 5-204-8500
For a sense of history
Ambos Mundos
Hostal Valencia CA
Terral
Wonderful ocean front
location. Newly renovated.
Paseo del Prado #603 esq. a
Dragones, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8201
Boutique Hotels in Old Havana
Florida
CA 5+
Stunning view from roof-top
pool. Beautiful décor.
Narciso López, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-8201
Neptuno e/ Prado y Zulueta,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-860-6627
Saratoga
Conde de
Villanueva
CA 5
Delightfully small and intimate.
For cigar lovers.
Mercaderes #202, esq. a
Lamparilla
(+53) 7-862-9293
H10 Habana
Panorama
CA 4+
Cascades of glass. Good wi-fi.
Modern.
Ave. 5ta. e/ 70 y 72, Miramar
(+53) 7-204-3583
Ave. 3ra. y 70, Miramar
(+53) 7 204-0100
Hotel Nacional
Riviera
CA 5
Eclectic art-deco architecture.
Gorgeous gardens.
CA 3
Spectacular views over wavelashed Malecón
Calle O esq. a 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-835 3896
Paseo y Malecón, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-4051
Saint John’s
Vedado
CA 3
Lively disco, tiny quirky pool.
Popular.
Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-3740
CA 3
Good budget option with a bit
of a buzz
Calle O e/ 23 y 25, Vedado
(+53) 7-836-4072
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Cañaveral House
Havana’s
best private
places to stay
For Help reserving any Private Accommodation (Casas Particulares) in Cuba please contact
[email protected]
Mid range - Casa Particular (B&B)
1932
Carlos in cuba
CA 4
CA 5
Gay Friendly BED and
Breakfast in Havana
Visually stunning, historically
fascinating. Welcoming.
Calle 2 #505 e/ 23 y 21, Vedado
(+53) 7-833-1329
(+53) 5-295-4893
[email protected]
www.carlosincuba.com
Campanario #63 e/ San Lázaro
y Laguna, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-863-6203
Habana
CA 5
Beautiful colonial townhouse
with great location.
Julio y Elsa
CA 5
Cluttered bohemian feel.
Hospitable.
Calle Habana #209, e/
Empedrado, y Tejadillo, Habana
Vieja.
(+53) 7-861-0253
Consulado #162 e/ Colón y
Trocadero, Centro Habana
(+53) 7-861-8027
Artedel
Hostal Guanabo
Up-scale B&Bs (Boutique hostals)
Cañaveral House CA
But undoubtedly the most
beautiful about private homes
in Cuba
5 Vitrales
39A street, #4402, between 44
y 46, Playa, La Habana Cuba
(+53) 295-5700
http://www.cubaguesthouse.
com/canaveral.home.
html?lang=en
CA 5
Hospitable, attractive and
reliable boutique B&B with 9
bedrooms.
Habana #106 e/ Cuarteles y
Chacón, Habana Vieja
(+53) 7-866-2607
CA 5+
Ydalgo Martínez Matos’s
spacious and contemporary
3-bedroom penthouse is
magnificent.
CA 5
Beautiful 4 bedroom seafront villa in sleepy Guanabo.
Excellent food.
Calle 480 #1A04 e/ 1ra y 3ra,
Guanabo
(+53) 7-799-0004
Calle I #260 e/ 15 y 17, Vedado
(+53) 5-830-8727
Apartment rentals
Bohemia Hostal CA
5+
Gorgeous 1-bedroom
apartment beautifully
decorated apartment
overlooking Plaza Vieja.
Luxury Houses
CA 5
Rent Room elegant and wellequipped. Beautiful wild
garden and great pool.
Calle 17 #1101 e/ 14 y 16, Vedado
(+34) 677525361
(+53) 7-832-1927
(+53) 5-360-0456
You’ve
5+
Beautifully designed
and spacious 3 bedroom
apartment. Spanish colonial
interiors with cheerful, arty
accents.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla
y Teniente Rey, Plaza Vieja
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5- 403-1 568
(+53) 7-836-6567
www.havanabohemia.com
Villasol
Casa Concordia CA
Tropicana
Penthouse
CA 5
Galiano #60 Penthouse Apt.10
e/ San Lázaro y Trocadero
(+53) 5-254-5240
www.tropicanapenthouse.com
Casablanca
CA
Michael
and María Elena
CA 5
Elegant well-equipped villa
formerly owned by Fulgencio
Batista. Beautiful wild garden.
Morro-Cabaña Park. House #29
(+53) 5-294-5397
www.havanacasablanca.com
This leafy oasis in western
Havana has an attractive
mosaic tiled pool and three
modern bedrooms.
Calle 66 #4507 e/ 45 y Final,
Playa
(+53) 7-209-0084
CA 5
Elegant 2-bedroom apartment
in restored colonial building.
Quality loft style décor.
A luxurious penthouse with
huge roof terrace and breathtaking 360 degree views of
Havana and the ocean.
Concordia #151 apto. 8 esq. a
San Nicolás, Centro Habana
(+53) 5-254-5240
www.casaconcordia.net
Suite Havana
Lamparilla #62 altos e/
Mercaderes y San Ignacio,
Habana Vieja
(+53) 5-829-6524
5
Residencia
Mariby
CA 5
A sprawling vanilla-hued
mansion with 6 rooms
decorated with colonial-era
lamps, tiles and Louis XV
furniture
Vedado.
(+53) 5-370-5559
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Artedel Luxury
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
3 BEDROOM PENTHOUSE
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Stylish and contemporary furniture
along with a beautiful 360-degree view over
Havana
Don’t Miss Ydalgo – an impeccable host,
discreet or gregarious, as you prefer
Calle I #260, e/ 15 and 17, Vedado
(+53) 7-830-8727
Bohemia Hostal
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
GORGEOUS 1 BEDROOM APARTMENT
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Independent beautifully decorated
apartment overlooking Plaza Vieja.
Don’t Miss Spending time in Havana’s most
atmospheric Plaza.
San Ignacio #364 e/ Muralla y Teniente Rey, Plaza
Vieja, Habana Vieja
[email protected]
(+53) 5 4031 568: (53) 7 8366 567
www.havanabohemia.com
Cañaveral House
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Large elegant villa away from
downtown Havana. Great for families or
groups of friends.
Don’t Miss Basking in the sun as you stretch
out on the lawn of the
beautifully kept garden.
39A street, #4402, between 44 y 46, Playa, La
Habana Cuba
(+53) 295-5700
http://www.cubaguesthouse.com/canaveral.home.
html?lang=en
Rosa D’Ortega
CA 5+
CA TOP PICK
BOUTIQUE VILLA
Facilities
Rooms
Ambience
Value
Best for Large elegant villa away from the
bustle of downtown Havana. Gracious hosts,
beautiful rooms.
Don’t Miss Exploring the off-the-beaten
track neighbourhood.
Patrocinio #252 esq. a Juan Bruno Zayas, 10 de
Octubre
(+53) 7-641-43-29 / (+53) 5-263-3302
http://www.larosadeortega.com
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