The One Thousand and One Faces of the Revolution Square

The One Thousand and One Faces of the Revolution Square
Fecha de publicación: 
14 January 2019
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The Grand Theater of Havana Alicia Alonso is hosting the exhibition Todos a la Plaza! which recalls major events held in the Revolution Square José Martí from the photography perspective.

Visual arts realization and symbolic value are shown in the exhibition that pays tribute to the summoning made several times to Cubans: Todos a la Plaza! (All to the Revolution Square!).

The National Council of Visual Arts exhibits in the Alejo Carpentier Art Gallery, located in third floor of the Grand Theater of Havana Alicia Alonso, a photo exhibition that covers, from the lens of many artists, the evolution of the main square of the nation, scenario of some of the most important milestones of the Cuban Revolution.

The celebrated monument to José Martí, the symbolic obelisk, the surrounding buildings…all of them are privileged scenery of the revolutionary iconography.

And most of the great Cuban photographers of the 20th century left their legacies. There we have the indispensable, those who have narrated with their photos the mythical, rising Revolution. And there are also more contemporary artists who imbibed from such traditions or proposed new ways to portray the legacy.

“This exhibition offers a very comprehensive view of the multiple scenery of the Revolution Square: it has been set so you can enjoy it as if you were traveling in time” —stated Nelson Ramírez de Arellano, manager of the Cuba Photographic Patrimony and curator of the photo exhibition, along with Yanet Oviedo.

The first photo, in fact, is the disturbing image taken by Ernesto Fernández: “Martí’s sculpture with the eyes covered with two rafters just before its emplacement. The image portrayed a powerful metaphor in times of the tyranny of Batista (Fulgencio), just in the eve of the triumph of the Revolution.”

That photo also offers a hint to what the viewer can appreciate in this photo exhibition: not only the document, but also the aesthetic pattern and the re-creation inspired in a historical, political, and cultural icon.

It is, in fact, the tribute of the Cuban people who are really the main actors. Heroes, leaders, flags, and rifles are portrayed here. But also the literacy teachers’ pencils, banners, posters…but people are the main actors.

The exhibition was set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution in January 1st, 1959. But it goes beyond; it is an anthology of one of the most powerful sides of the Cuban Revolution photography.

One hundred images and videos made by 34 multigenerational artists: a very special and varied scenario which can be enjoyed both as a story of great events and a wide range of styles.

This exhibition gives continuity to another exhibition that early in the 21st century illustrated expressions of what could be regarded as “Revolution Aesthetics” in the work of visual arts in Cuba.

Similarly, it is related to previous photo exhibitions organized by Cuba’s Photographic Patrimony last year especially the one devoted to the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro at the National Library José Martí.

The photo exhibition can be visited the whole month of January.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Diaz / CubaSi Translation Staff

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