XIII Havana Biennial will have 52 invited countries

The XIII Havana Biennial will be held from April 12 to May 12 and will feature the presence of about 300 artists from the island and 52 invited countries, said Margarita Gonzalez Lorente today, chief of the curatorship commission of the event.

Gonzalez Lorente explained that among the parameters that were taken into account for the selection of artists to exhibit, were the adaptation of the work to the central theme of the event and the quality of the projects, in addition to introducing new creators, although there are 13 National Awards of Plastic Arts as guests

In a press conference held at the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art center, it was clarified that the great merit of the Biennial is that it has stood the test of time and has positioned itself among the others of its kind worldwide.

The Biennal always carries with it a social benefit, it has contributed to the improvement of the community and that is why, moreover, it is so much awaited, said the also deputy director of the Wifredo Lam Center.

There is in this edition -she said- a strong presence of Latin America, as well as of Europe and the Caribbean, fact in itself that speaks of the expansion of this encounter in which in its beginnings it counted only with artists of the region.

Jorge Alfonso García, director general of the XIII Havana Biennial, stated that this corresponds to the needs of the country and its artists, but at the same time constitutes a cultural, economic and organizational challenge.

Among the exhibitions that are going to take place, the project La posibilidad Infinita (The Infinite Possibility) stands out, which will be held in the National Museum of Fine Arts with six major thematic axes; in addition, Intersection in Factoría Habana and Behind the Wall, already assiduous in the largest visual arts event in Cuba.

The University of the Arts (ISA) will host theoretical conferences in which there will be exhibitions, workshops and conversations given by professors and recent graduates of this institution, and by experts from other countries such as Doctor Ticio Escobar (Paraguay), Boaventura de Souza Santos (Portugal) and Carlos Jauregui (Colombia).

Other venues will be the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, the Fototeca de Cuba, the Hispanic American Cultural Center, the Cuba Pavilion, the José Martí National Library, the Casa Simón Bolívar and the Chullima Studio Workshop, among others. (ACN)