Blog #3 A Change in Street Art

For many years throughout Cuba’s history the only street art has been paintings of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro because of the Revolution and all that it stood for. However, more recently artists have been veering away from that and appealing to the common citizens and issues. Similar to the more formal paintings done by artists such as Los Carpinteros, some of street art has a political message behind it which is their subtle way of stating their opinion to the public and government. Artists like this include Yulier Rodriguez who takes debris he’s found in the street, takes it home to paint on, then places it back where he found it. This form of art represents the decay of the Cuban society. How things are so often falling apart and not being fixed and also that for the artists it’s probably easier to use this method of a canvas rather than trying to keep buying real canvases as they’re most likely not very accessible.

            Other street art that can be seen nowadays are portraits of the elder as well as of children. They are not of any people specifically but just the common citizen and neighbor. The paintings of the elder are meant to show the traditional Cuban spirit through the eyes of the oldest citizens, rather than politicians, who have been a part of the country through all its phases in history. They have so much knowledge and stories about their lives during the Revolution that deeply connects them to their country and the artists Jose Parla and JR wanted to tell those stories. Other murals painted on the street are of the neighborhood children, done by Marcel Lopez. After getting permission from the parents and the authorities he takes about a month to paint a portrait of a child, having done about 15 already. These children are meant to represent the construction and development of society as they are the future of Cuba.

            One of the things I found interesting was the music in Cuba, the education of it specifically. It seems that Cubans are so dedicated to teaching their children all about their culture’s music and where it came from. The children learn at a young age since music education is a priority, there are schools at elementary level all over the country. Music is such an important part of the country’s history that it’s important to pass down to younger generations. There are so many influences in modern Cuban music that come from past ancestors and religion such as the Cabildos or Santeria roots. Their music helps define who they are as a society. One of the popular places to see that ancestral influence is at Callejon de Hamel where the walls are covered in paintings and the African roots are celebrated. A well known music artist of today based out of Cuba is Gente de Zona who is recognized from their collaboration with Enrique Iglesias on “Bailando.” They bring a very modern touch to the typical Cuban rhythms. They had called their sound a “Cuban reggaeton” as it’s a mix of Cuban rhythms into a reggaeton base. What their success means to them is that they were able to prove to themselves and others than artist from Cuba are able to get to the top of the charts, that it’s possible to truly succeed regardless of nationality.

            My question now is: do you think that Cuban music will always have some of it’s roots played into it or will it become more European/Americanized the more open the country becomes? Also, do you think that authorities are going to keep allowing street artists to paint things like Yulier Rodriguez with his more political pieces, however subtle they may be?