This edition of the Biennial promotes a vision that is both retrospective and decolonizing
Havana, Nov 15 (RHC) The Fifteenth Havana Biennial kicks off today and will run until February 2025, with the participation of 172 Cuban and 230 international artists, including 61% from the Global South.
In an interview with the Cuban press, director Nelson Ramírez de Arellano emphasized that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the event, which will feature a special retrospective of Cuban art and culminate with a documentary featuring interviews with key figures from previous biennials.
Ramírez highlighted that the event will also host a series of tributes and conferences between December 6 and 8, dedicated to the birthday of Wifredo Lam, the inspiration behind these events and the most internationally recognized Cuban artist.
The Havana Biennial focuses on showcasing the contemporary art of the nations of the Global South and engaging with the public.
Organized by the Wifredo Lam Cultural Center, this edition of the Biennial promotes a vision that is both retrospective and decolonizing, through a dialogue between artists from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
This artistic event, which has gained global recognition over the past four decades, will also extend to the provinces of Pinar del Río, Matanzas, and Holguín.
It is also a tribute to Havana and its residents, as its opening coincides with the 505th anniversary of the founding of the Cuban capital.
Among its key venues are the Wifredo Lam Center, the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, the Cuba Photo Library, the Casa de las Américas, and the Línea y 18 Cultural Station, as well as sites within the City Historian's Office.
The program includes workshops, performances, concerts, and public interventions, as well as work placements in iconic locations.
Additionally, there will be commemorative exhibitions, research projects, artistic explorations, special projects, and theoretical events.
At the event's capital headquarters, artists' works and interactions with the public will be showcased in locations such as El Fanguito, Casablanca, Los Sitios, Regla, and the Malecón, the focal point of the project Behind the Wall.
The theoretical event will take place at the National Museum of Fine Arts, with a central theme centered around the integration of knowledge beyond the realm of art.
Forty speakers from 15 countries will participate, including figures who have directed previous biennials, and they will reflect on how these events can engage with the context and contribute to society.
The Havana Biennial thus reaffirms its commitment to the decolonization of art and the pursuit of a more just and equitable future. (Source: Prensa Latina)
