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Cuban Digital Art & Exhibitions: Hunger, Resistance, and Resilience

Dr. Karina Lissette Cespedes, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and the Humanities and Cultural Studies Program at the University of Central Florida, curates the content and authors the commentary within the guide.

Introduction

Born in Havana, Elio Rodriguez’ work highlights questions of scarcity, hunger, and resilience.  An early adopter of digital technology, drawing on themes particular to Cuban history, Rodriguez' work offers thought-provoking understandings of Cuban masculinity and femininity. Pushing the boundaries of traditional tropes,  Rodriguez' work critiques the stereotypes of Afrodescendant men via the use of irony by creating fictitious movie posters produced by ‘macho enterprise’ (Judith Battelheim, 2005).  His current digital art works tackle the historical, political, ideological, and economic themes that address the commodification of Afrodescendant bodies.  His work contends with the often stereotypical views that circulate within dominant Cuban culture.  The satirical and fictitious “macho enterprise” is a reference to the rise in tourism in the face of hunger and scarcity.  But, it adheres to a much older representative tradition within global Afrodescendant empowerment movements, which center love stories between Afrodescendant men and women (for example, The Other Francisco and Their Eyes Were Watching God).  The double meaning captured by Rodiguez' images captures the complexity and legacy of the Latin American Casta System.

Digital Works

La Tentacion

Con la Guardia en Alto

digital print on paper mounted on hardboard. 2016

59,5 X 39,5” (150 X 100cm) edition big size (3). 31,5 x 20” (80 X 50cm) edition medium size (5)

Used with permission from the artist Elio Rodriguez

Woman with a crown sitting on a crocodile with tropical fruits in a surreal ocean scene.

El Poder del Caribe

Con la Guardia en Alto

digital print on paper mounted on hardboard. 2016

45 X 32” (114,5 X 156cm) edition big size (3) 33 x 24,2” (84 X 61,5cm) edition medium size (5)

Used with permission from the artist Elio Rodriguez

Collage with a man in banana attire and a woman in firefighter attire set against a fiery backdrop.

La Liberacion

Con la Guardia en Alto

digital print on paper mounted on hardboard. 2016

60x44”. (152,5x112cm) edition big size(3) 2 available. 40x30" (100x76cm) edition medium size(5). Hutchins Institute, Harvard

Used with permission from the artist Elio Rodriguez

Vibrant collage of diverse people and symbols over a red and beige background with radiating lines.

 

Videos

3 PREGUNTAS CON: Elio Rodríguez: