Blog #2 - Hypocritical Government Views on the Arts

Art has always been a way for humans to express themselves and this is no different in Cuba. In a country where speech and expression is limited, artistic expression may be the only way to share ideas. Prior to the Revolution, the island’s artistic scene was just as diverse as the people. Influenced by South America, Europe, Africa, and other Caribbean nations, Cubans had a unique way of expressing themselves without using words. With the recent unrest and problems plaguing Cuba, artists have begun to use their art to question the state’s authority. Thus, the government has put forth Decree 349, which “essentially grants the Cuban Republic complete control over independent artistic production” (“As Criminalization of the Arts Intensifies in Cuba, Artists Organize”). 

One thing that struck me as odd was the hypocrisy of the government’s views on art between when comparing the two modules. For instance, Decree 349 states that pornography and sexism in art is prohibited, but the government had no issue allowing dancers to dress skantily and dance for tourists in order to support the country. Although, I suppose censoring art and dictating specific uses are both oppressive, but I would be interested to hear other views on this.

I think Cuba’s standpoint on the arts has always been dictated by what the state found useful at the time. After struggling for years economically, the state needed to exploit artists and allow them to make money and support the economy, which was why some artistic freedoms were allowed. However, with Cubans leaving the country and the art taking a more political turn, the state has decided it needs to shut down individual thought. For this reason, I found Tania Bruguera’s story to be fascinating. Her performances include readings promoting free speech, stimulating the individual thought the communist government greatly fears. With individuality, the government would have a tougher time exploiting the people and would need to listen to the desires of the people in order to keep loyalty. However, as Bruguera states, the government sells “the image [of] everyone in Cuba being happy” (“Tania Bruguera: Cuban Artist Fights for Free Expression”). It seems to be that the government loved its art when they could use it as proof that their people are happy in the socialist nation, but now that it is being used against the socialist state, the state is actively trying to shut it down.

As stated before, do you feel like it is like the country’s decision to condemn body art yet encourage dancing for tourists to be hypocritical? If more Cuban artists were to flee the country, or the sale of art is greatly restricted, how will the economy be affected? Will the loss of capital force the government to remove art restrictions, or will the fear of rebellion still be too great? 

Blog #2 - 100 Years of the Afro-Cuban Movement

Artists are historically known to use their work to push the boundaries and challenge the status quo. They can use art as a medium to affect policy, shed light on social issues and express their individual opinions. Cubans have struggled in so many various social issues and many have used art as a method to spur change in economic and social discrimination. Specifically, black Cubans have struggled since African slave labor was brought to the island. The beginning to ending racial injustices, economic and social discrimination within the black community was the Afro-Cuban Movement.

Initially, the Afro-Cuban movement was for artists to reconnect with their African heritage. It flourished in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The movement influenced Cuban literature, paintings, poetry, music, and sculptures. It was the first artistic movement in Cuba to be focused on one subject, black culture. The movement was very powerful since Cuba had abolished slavery only 40 years prior. During the years following the abolishment of slavery, black Cubans struggled to attain equal rights in the workplace and society in general. The Afro-Cuban movement parallels with the Harlem Renaissance. Nicolás Guillén, a Cuban poet and activist, was heavily influenced by the American civil rights movement. He recognized the inequalities during the American Civil Rights movement as the issues within his home country, Cuba. Guillén was a journalist and became a lifelong friend after interviewing Langston Hughes, who greatly influenced his later work. The heart of this movement was to recognize the African Heritage of Cubans. This movement was pivotal in the creation of Cuba’s cultural identity. Black music, art, and religion were not socially accepted and the movement was used to normalize and provide representation to a culture that is that of millions of Cubans shared.

Another movement impacted Cuban society similar to the Afro-Cuban movement, was the artistic avant-garde. Cubans before 1959 were familiar with American popular culture, such as films, magazines, and music. At the end of the first decade of the Revolution, influences brought from the US were discouraged and banned. The embargo had a significant effect on the art and culture of Cuba. The artistic avant-garde was the beginning of when Castro allowed Cubans to sell their artwork. The Project Antillano in the late 1970s, was a project that was a continuation of the effort for black Cubans to reprimand social inequalities within a Revolutionary society.

Now, the Cuban government supports and promotes culture in their education. Art is a pillar of the country’s international identity. The Afro-Cuban movement that began in the late 1920s, now almost 100 years later the movement is still prevalent, though the Cuban government has evolved and the stories and works of black Cubans are accepted; art is part of life in Cuba, and art is how Black Cubans were heard.

1. Do you think art can actually create social change in a communist society?
2. Did the Afro-Cuban movement actually impact culture or were there many other factors that had a greater influence?
3. Do you think we will see the impacts of the Afro-Cuban movement in everyday life, such as the markets or tourist industry?

Blog #2 Artists Pushing For Change

Throughout the decades, art has been a very crucial part of Cuba’s culture and society. It has given the people a way to express themselves and given them a voice. Before the Revolution the art scene was widely diverse with influence from multiple cultures such as African, European, North and South American. Afterwards though, things became divided when some artists decided to leave Cuba in efforts to pursue their career in other countries where they had more access to dollars. Those who stayed had to create their art in limitation due to the censorship that came with being sponsored by the government. It’s sad to see how their art had gone from such expression and recognition of the different cultures present on the island to only being allowed to create art that followed along with the ideals of the government.

One of the artists mentioned in the videos, Wifredo Lam, I found interesting because of his bravery to create art that went against the social norm at the time. Wifredo was of Chinese and African decent but had not gotten in touch with his ancestral roots until he moved to Spain to study art. Once he returned back to Cuba in the 1940’s and saw how the blacks were being treated, he began painting politically and wanted to “awaken a sense of injustice in people,” as described by his son. It wasn’t common for people to admit that they were of African or Chinese descent and how he so fearlessly allowed his ancestry to influence how he painted is inspiring.

Another artist that caught my eye was Fidelio Ponce de Leon because of the truth he told in each of his paintings. His artwork told the story of how life actually was for most Cuban citizens. It depicted the sickness, poverty, and alienation that was prevalent in the 1930’s. He had an unruly life just like everyone else that included a desperate economic situation. He painted how he felt and that went along with how many others felt too, it was said to represent the national mood at the time. His piece titled “Niños” is a clear example of that. It was thought that children were associated with beauty and hope and when Fidelio painted a child in nature that shows a facial expression of clear sadness, it offered a very contrasting view to some of the other artwork.

An art piece described in the video Cuba: The Art Revolution created by the duo Los Carpinteros took a very direct route to say how they really felt about the Cuban government. The lighthouse is supposed to represent power in the country and is never on its side as that reflects suffering. Yet this particular piece represented a fall in power and that change needs to happen in the Cuban government. I was very surprised that it could be shown considering how strict the laws were about defying the government and all that the Revolution stood for.

On the topic of government censorship, the article about criminalization of the arts in Cuba was shocking to me how brutal it had become and this was just last year. The Cuban government had taken away so much of what made the arts scene a way for people to express themselves with Decree 349. Things like reggaeton were banned from radios and stores which was a very popular genre of music among the people. Life is so different in that respect compared to the United States which is why it’s so shocking to me that people have to go to such extremes in order to have free speech and freedom of expression in their art. For example, at one of the protest performances, artists intended to cover themselves in human excrement as a symbol of artists’ treatment by the government.

Do you think that artists’ efforts like Fidelio Ponce de Leon or Los Carpinteros pieces made an impact on the Cuban people to push for change? And do you believe that Decree 349 will continue to be upheld regardless of how many protests have been occurring in defiance of it?

Blog #2: The Beauty of Untouched Art

The US embargo against Cuba began during the Batista regime back in 1958, and is currently still going on. The political situation between Cuba and the U.S. has impacted Cuban artists, but I would say in the best way possible. Cuba is one of the only countries in the world that managed to be uninfluenced by their northern neighbor, especially in their arts. This allowed them to be influenced by only things that have been made in the past and things that are allowed in their present. At first glance, I found it quite unfair that they were so cut off from different sources of inspiration. But as I looked at the beautiful works of art made by Cuban artists in the media that professor Lee provided us, I learned to love them even more. Each piece made by every artist, and each artist's style is so unique and original - there is no overlap between artists and it makes every artist stand out. In place like the U.S., new artists seem to have developed similar styles and tastes because they are all exposed to the same influences. However, artists in Cuba weren't exposed to such influences on that level, forcing them to create their own image.

The articles have provided me with enough information to safely say that the Castro regime was the most impactful on the works of modern artists like Danilo Maldonado Machado or "El Sexto" and Tania Bruguera. They are just two examples of politically-driven artists who faced injustices towards their art after Fidel Castro died. During his regime (when he was alive), Castro was vigilant of artists works because he wanted to control or 'censor' what was being published/shown to the public. I find that he did this because he knew that artists that were against him (like Machado and Bruguera) made works that were both visually appealing and had significant meaning to them, making them more of a threat than just art. Also, Cuba being a hotspot tourist destination, the anti-Castro art could be used to paint Cuba as an oppressing place. This censorship led to many artists being exiled, vigilantly watched, and paranoid. Both Machado and Bruguera, and other artists, were arrested multiple times because of their art that demonstrated their disgust in the Castro regime. 

Overall, I found that learning about music and the arts in Cuba is very different than learning about American, or even Dominican and European art. The styles and influences vary so much, and the fact that most of the artists we learned about worked in a very oppressive and controlling environment under a totalitarian dictator. I would say that is an unstable way to express and make art, but it is what motivated many to express themselves in these ways. So my questions to the class are:

Do you believe that if the artists we learned about weren't under the influence of Castro's dictatorship, would their art be drastically different? That is, with the US embargo in place.

Also, do you think that the idea of censoring the work of these artists is a human rights issue? In the US, we have the freedom to speech (which includes nonverbal forms, including art). 

Blog Post #2- La Historia de Cúba: La Música, El Baile, y Las pinturas

Imagine being without internet, iPhone, iPad, iMac, or any electronic device you can think of that’s accessible in the United States. In Cuba, music and dance are their primary source of entertainment. The streets are filled with street dancers and Cuban music playing in the background along with street painters. Now, Cuban artists are allowed to sell their paintings in the streets of Cuba to earn an income. According to Omar, in the video “Cuba: The Art Revolution”, creating different art paintings allows him to feed his family and pay for more art supplies. Before, artists were not allowed to sell or conduct business as a free enterprise due to Cuba having a communist government. However, artists are now the top paying job in Cuba since tourism is booming. Tourists are willing to pay $80 for a single painting because it’s considered “cheap” to them and maybe one day their artwork will become famous, so they have them sign the bottom of the painting (“Cuba: The Art Revolution”). Some Cuban artists are now allowed to travel to different countries to showcase their art since Cuban art used to not be easily accessible due to Fidel’s regime. Cuban artists like, Los Carpinteros, were not allowed to travel to the United States even though their artwork was being showcased throughout the country. This was due to the United States Trade Embargo and travel ban placed on Cuba. Do you believe that this was right of the United States to not allow them to come to showcase their own artwork?!

I definitely believe in all cases artists are influenced by surroundings and that’s what creates their masterpieces. In my opinion, it’s the artists way of expressing themselves in their current situation. Cuban art is heavily influenced by their heritage from Spain and Africa. Fidel Castro Ruz supported artists when he first came into power. Socialist revolution was embraced by Cuban artists that time, allowing them to paint the life of Cuba when it’s under the Spanish empire colony (“Cuban Art History”). Cuba is known for having fantastic art and dance schools  possibly the best in the world. But during the time of the revolution, the Cuban government censored artist’s paintings and would not allow revolutionary paintings to be made. A similar situation happened in Mexico with activist painter, Diego Rivera. However, Diego Rivera continued to paint murals all over different buildings expressing his opinion on the current situation on hand. Whereas in Cuba, paintings were not allowed period. Could you imagine not being able to not only express yourself but also not allowed to express your opinion because your government is holding you back? I think not being to express your opinion in art paintings is similar to not having freedom of speech. I believe every human-being should have the right of freedom of speech. What consequences do you think would have happened if Cuban artists painted revolutionary paintings? What would you have done if you were in this situation and you weren’t able to express yourself? Is it fair to you or others? Are there any changes you would make to the Cuban government?

Blog post #2 The success of Los Carpinteros and Cuba music

Art became a growing industry after the Soviet Union collapse and Castro had to open up the island to tourist and allow the dollar. Visual Arts were first shown at the 1983 Cuban Biennial which is a Cuba arts festival. Two artists named Dagaberto Rodriquez and Marco Castillo who are called Los Carpinteros were discovered at that show. Their career quickly sky rocketed and two artists live a life that most Cubans dream of having. But just like everyone else Los Carpinteros struggled like everyone else during the economic fallout of the 1990s. They had no food, no transportation and no electricity. During that time Los Carpinteros helped themselves to abandoned housed of rich Cuban’s who had fled the Island. There work shows upper class Cuban lifestyle while critiquing the socialist system through humor. When interviewing Marco was asked if he would change anything in with Cuban Politics he didn’t flinch and answered “the government” immediately. Going against the Cuban government can get you imprisoned I am surprised he so openly stated what he would want to change.

Los Carpinteros sell sculptures in the United States between $50,000-$60,000 and paintings that sell between $20,000-25,000. Their art is sold at high auctions, but they are not allowed to go into the United States. What surprises me about these artists is how much money they make in one piece of art. The average doctor in Cuba makes $30 a month. How is that right that a doctor who has to use outdated materials makes $30 a month?

            Due to the revolution there was no international exposure for Cuban music. Cubans started to look into each other. The Buena Vista Social Club was the first club International success for Cuban music. It opened doors for Cuban music and other genres that we hear worldwide today. Raul Paz a Cuban musician believes that music should become more modern in Cuba. He feels that when it comes to music and artist because the technology is not advancing it is not a forward-thinking model when creating new music. Many artists left Cuban to pursue careers in other countries then came back. Music is a huge part of the Cuban culture it is all over the streets and everyone is involved in it. After reading this module it left me with a couple of questions. Why are artist paid so much money? If the art or music is not benefiting the government then how are they able to sell their art? Although Cuba seems to be frozen in the 1950’s if the music has changed why is the way it is being created not changed?

Blog #2: Art For Change

Cuban art has gone through the same oppressive cycle that the citizens of Cuba have themselves. While Cuba was under the control of Spain, the art was also under its control. Most Cuban art during its colonial years fell under the categories of classicism, romanticism, and neoclassicism. Once Cuba gained independence from Spain, its art took the form of the Vanguardia movement. During this movement, its members fled from Cuba to Europe in order to continue to learn about art. Artists did this because art became censored with the rise of communism and Fidel Castro. For artists, censorship is one of the worst possible ways to create art. Making art is all about having your voice heard and sharing with the world what you feel should be shared. The second another person tells you what to create, some of your own creativity is lost. When those who were in the Vanguardia movement returned to Cuba, they felt this stress even more. As Cameron stated in After Fidel..., “coming back to Cuba, coming face to face with the absence of freedoms in their home country, makes it more unsustainable over time to maintain a lack of freedom” (After Fidel…, 4). After feeling a sense of freedom of expression in Europe, returning to Cuba felt like even more of a prison artistically. For this reason, those in the Vanguardia movement became more political in their pieces. Rather than going against the Cuban government outright, the art of the Vanguardia movement oftentimes had more subtle social commentary regarding issues such as the relationship between the poor and the elite, and the need for change. 
Recently, artists have been more open about their disagreements with Cuban politics. After reading several articles on this topic, I find modern Cuban artists to be very courageous. Two artists that stuck out to me specifically are Los Carpinteros and Tania Bruguera. Up until recently, the political situation in Cuba has been very restrictive. I believe that as a US citizen, it is hard to imagine having restrictions on speech. On US news, there are stories that openly go against the president and many famous artists or actors also make open statements regarding issues such as this and do not get in any trouble. In the PBS video, The Art Revolution, it is stated that, “political dissent in Cuba can land you in jail, but when asked what kind of changes he would propose, Marco didn’t flinch” (The Art Revolution, 09:46-09:54). Marco, in Los Carpinteros, shows that he cares more about change than he fears about getting in trouble. I also thought that their fallen lighthouse piece makes a strong statement that can be easily interpreted by viewers. Tania Bruguera is even more extreme. Her pieces are entirely influenced by the political issues that are currently facing Cuba. She aims to blur the line between art and political activism. In Cuban Artist Pushes Boundary... , the price that Bruguera pays is, “Bruguera was arrested, along with more than two dozen supporters” (Cuban Artist…, 1). This outcome came after Bruguera attempted to hold a free-speech forum. It seems impossible for me to imagine a life without free speech, but it is also easy to see why Los Carpinteros and Tania Bruguera are willing to risk it all in order to achieve it. Some questions that I have are, do you believe that the artists of Cuba’s political statements will result in change? And, with the Castros finally out of power, do you think art and culture in Cuba will explode from the new found freedom?