On Art and Other Trades in Turn of Millennium Cuba: A Conversation with Alexandre Arrechea

This a icle was downloaded by: [Uni e si y o New Mexico] On: 30 No embe 2014, A : 10:04 Publishe : Rou ledge In o ma L d Regis e ed in England and Wales Regis e ed Numbe : 1072954 Regis e ed o ice: Mo ime House, 37-41 Mo ime S ee , London W1T 3JH, UK Jou nal o La in Ame ican Cul u al S udies: T a esia Publica ion de ails, including ins uc ions o au ho s and subsc ip ion in o ma ion: h p://www. and online.com/loi/cjla20 On A and O he T ades in Tu n o Millennium Cuba: A Con e sa ion wi h Alexand e A echea Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano Published online: 18 Jul 2013. To ci e his a icle: Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano (2013) On A and O he T ades in Tu n o Millennium Cuba: A Con e sa ion wi h Alexand e A echea, Jou nal o La in Ame ican Cul u al S udies: T a esia, 22:2, 155-168, DOI: 10.1080/13569325.2013.801832 To link o his a icle: h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/13569325.2013.801832 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylo & F ancis makes e e y e o o ensu e he accu acy o all he in o ma ion ( he “Con en ”) con ained in he publica ions on ou pla o m. Howe e , Taylo & F ancis, ou agen s, and ou licenso s make no ep esen a ions o wa an ies wha soe e as o he accu acy, comple eness, o sui abili y o any pu pose o he Con en . Any opinions and iews exp essed in his publica ion a e he opinions and iews o he au ho s, and a e no he iews o o endo sed by Taylo & F ancis. The accu acy o he Con en should no be elied upon and should be independen ly e i ied wi h p ima y sou ces o in o ma ion. Taylo and F ancis shall no be liable o any losses, ac ions, claims, p oceedings, demands, cos s, expenses, damages, and o he liabili ies wha soe e o howsoe e caused a ising di ec ly o indi ec ly in connec ion wi h, in ela ion o o a ising ou o he use o he Con en . This a icle may be used o esea ch, eaching, and p i a e s udy pu poses. Any subs an ial o sys ema ic ep oduc ion, edis ibu ion, eselling, loan, sub-licensing, sys ema ic supply, o dis ibu ion in any o m o anyone is exp essly o bidden. Te ms & Condi ions o access and use can be ound a h p://www. and online.com/page/ e ms- and-condi ions Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ON ART AND OTHER TRADES IN TURN OF MILLENNIUM CUBA: A CONVERSATION WITH ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA This in e iew seeks o analyse he dynamics o he Cuban cul u al con ex a he end o he millennium. To do so, i examines he wo k o Alexand e A echea, a o me membe o he collec i e Los Ca pin e os. Du ing he 1980s Cuban a had held an impo an posi ion as a space o social and poli ical c i icism, eplacing o he spaces and becoming a majo cen e o discussion in he public sphe e. Tha p ocess changed subs an ially in he ollowing decade as he coun y en e ed he Special Pe iod and wi h he inc easing a en ion o he in e na ional a ma ke on he Cuban a sphe e. This in e iew looks a he decisi e yea s in which Cuban a became app ecia ed and consumed in e na ionally, eco e ing he oices o some o he main ac o s in ha p ocess, such as Ge a do Mosque a, Ca los Ga aicoa and Sand a Ramos. While he wo k o Los Ca pin e os has been analysed se e al imes, he oeu e o A echea, one o he majo c ea i e oices om he Ca ibbean in he new cen u y, has no ecei ed he same ocus. The p esen discussion aims o ill his gap, by looking a his wo k as a whole and discussing issues ela ed o mig a ion and spec a o ship, c ea i i y and ep esen a ion. This in e iew looks a he wo k o Alexand e A echea (T inidad, Cuba, 1970), one o he membe s o he Cuban collec i e Los Ca pin e os, in o de o examine he cul u al con ex o Cuba a he end o he 20 h cen u y. Du ing he eigh ies he e was an unp eceden ed eno a ion o he coun y’s a is ic sphe e, ma ked by he appea ance o se e al gene a ions o a is s who pu sued o mal expe imen a ion and played wi h a sub e sion o he codes and alues ha had a icula ed he ways in which he poli ical li e and a is ic scene o he p e ious decades had unc ioned. Always ac ing ‘wi hin he Re olu ion’, in a amewo k de e mined by a desi e o e i alise and a he same ime c i icise e olu iona y p ac ice, he a is s c ea ed a mo emen ha was dynamised by p o oca ion and he ex ension o he ways a is ic wo k could ha e an in luence on la ge sec o s o socie y. New Cuban A , hen, was abou coming close o li e, an app oach o he immedia e eali y o he coun y, as well as a e ision o he pa io ic symbols and slogans ha ha e now come o in eg a e a is ic discou ses, by eso ing o ki sch, app op ia ion and i ony. The end o he decade, howe e , looks like one o he mos dispu ed momen s in he his o y o new Cuban a , domina ed by a clash wi h o icialdom, he g ow h o p o oca ion and he massi e exodus o a is s who had played he main ole in he eno a ion o he a is ic pano ama (Figu es 1–3). q2013 Taylo & F ancis Jou nal o La in Ame ican Cul u al S udies, 2013 Vol. 22, No. 2, 155–168, h p://dx.doi.o g/10.1080/13569325.2013.801832 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 The ac i i y o he Los Ca pin e os collec i e (Alexand e A echea, Ma cos Cas illo and Dagobe o Rod ı ´guez) is si ua ed in he momen immedia ely a e hese e en s, which was ma ked by he need o ill he oid le by he depa u e o he p e ious gene a ion. Pa icipan s in wha has been dubbed ‘ he es o a ion o he aes he ic pa adigm’ o he ecupe a ion o ‘a as a ade’, hei wo k seeks o eco e a isanal echniques, like ca pen y, ha hen become inco po a ed in o he a is ic epe oi e. The g oup o ms pa o a he e ogeneous Gene a ion o he Nine ies ha had o con on he a is ic consequences o he Special Pe iod in Times o Peace as well as i s own de ini i e inco po a ion in o he in e na ional a ma ke . As wi h a is s like Fe nando Rod ı ´guez, Sand a Ramos and Ca los Ga aicoa, Los Ca pin e os c ea i ely engage om a pe spec i e ha seeks o i onise he new condi ions o li e and he FIGURE 1 Alexand e A echea. Dus . LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES156 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 di ec ion ha a in he coun y had adop ed. Educa ed a he Ins i u o Supe io del A e (ISA), an ins i u ion ha played he main ole in he successi e a is ic e o ms ha ha e happened since he eigh ies, he membe s o he g oup ha e played a leading ole du ing a decisi e momen in he un olding o Ca ibbean c ea i i y now in a p ocess o unp eceden ed expansion. In 2003, Alexand e A echea decided o lea e he collec i e and begin a solo ca ee . Based in Mad id, he began o use new exp essi e media such as ideo, a he same ime as con inuing o be p eoccupied wi h conce ns like social ep esen a i i y and he ole o he indi idual ha had amed he wo k o Los Ca pin e os. In he cou se o he i s decade o he new cen u y, Alexand e A echea became one o he mos a ou ed and bes exhibi ed a is s om he Ca ibbean, whils a he same ime becoming in eg a ed in o an in e na ional cu en ha abandoned iden i a ian and egional labels o engage in a e lec ion o a mo e global cha ac e . A echea’s solo wo k can hus be conside ed as impo an as ha de eloped in he nine ies in Los Ca pin e os, e en hough i has ecei ed much less a en ion. This in e iew goes o e he key momen s o he cul u al p ocess in Cuba and he Ca ibbean du ing he pe iod om 1980 onwa ds. The a is e lec s on he dis ance be ween he ideals o social eno a ion embodied in he a o he eigh ies and he new FIGURE 2 Alexand e A echea. Swea . A CONVERSATION WITH ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA 157 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 posi ion occupied by he wo k o a in he subsequen decade; he expansion o Cuban cul u e o o he se ings like Mad id and New Yo k; he condi ions in which Ca ibbean a has been in e na ionalised by means o la ge-scale exhibi ions and e en s o ganised by ins i u ions inside and ou side he egion; and inally he cu en s a e o a is ic ac i i y in he Ca ibbean, a a new momen o expansion whose pa icula cha ac e is ics equi e a mo e de ailed examina ion. In e iew wi h Alexand e A echea In e iewe (I): Hello Alexand e. Pe haps we could begin wi h an analysis o he ea ly nine ies, wi h he beginning o you wo k in Los Ca pin e os and he ole he g oup played in exhibi ions such as The Me apho s o he Temple o The T ade o A . How do you iew his s age now? Alexand e A echea (A): Memo y o en be ays us and one ends o build up pas imes, bu I will y and keep a clea iew o he pas and be objec i e. I he e was any hing pa icula o he nine ies, I belie e, i was ha nea ly all o us who we e ac i e a ha ime had a consciousness o he ole ha had allen o us, abo e all because he e had been a pe iod when impo an a is s had emig a ed and a so o oid had appea ed in he a scene in Cuba. We we e hus placed in a si ua ion in which we soon became he main ac o s, bu we e somewha o ced in o his posi ion. We we e going o be he new g adua es, h own in o an a ena ha equi ed a new and di e en con e sa ion: and he e was ou momen . In 1991 Los Ca pin e os was s ill jus he wo o us, Dagobe o and me, and hen in 1992 Ma cos joined he g oup. In eali y he i s yea was 1990, when as s uden s we FIGURE 3 Alexand e A echea. Black Sun. LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES158 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 s a ed o collabo a e wi h ou eache Rene ´F ancisco, who was he a chi ec o ou p ojec and was esponsible o ge ing di e en s uden s o collabo a e on an idea. We began o de elop p ojec s ha bo e he imp in o his collabo a ion wi h Rene ´in 1990 and we go ou wo ks in o spaces like he Tabaque ı ´a o p i a e houses ... . I was ou way o ge ing in o di e en zones, wi h he aim o e en ually ge ing o he galle ies. Tha ’s o say, a ha poin we we e s uden s and i is eally di icul o a s uden o ge he oppo uni y o ha e a space. In ac , when he museum app oached us i was eally some hing emendous .... In eali y i s ill is. We s ill had his naı ¨ e unde s anding o he con ex o Ha ana, bu also a esponsibili y o do some hing wi h ha con ex . I s ill ha e memo ies o The Me apho s o he Temple show, like a elling in an eno mous lo y, each o us wi h his sculp u es, o pu hem up in he museum, he Cen e o De elopmen , he image o he lo y, and o us o o show a The Me apho s, and I emembe ed he plans he Re olu ion was making o cu cane in a pa icula p o ince. The e we we e, all o us a elling like wo ke s, o ca y ou ou mission. Undoub edly, i was a e y impo an p ojec and i s cha ac e would b ing oge he e e y hing ha ollowed. As a g oup, we we e always in e es ed in dialogue, e en when he indi iduali y o each membe began o show h ough. We had ha kind o a esponsibili y and, o example, we we e e y in e es ed in documen ing e e y hing ha happened. So, o example, e e y ime we we e going o be pa o an exhibi ion, we’d make pos e s and pu hem up all o e he school, e e ywhe e in Ha ana ha we could, and i was a way o gi ing a uni y o wha we we e doing. In 1992 when people we e al eady beginning o alk abou he Gene a ion o he Nine ies, hey began o de ine i as some hing ha was going back o mo e adi ional o mulas o do wi h ways o building, a e concep ualism and p ope ly poli ical a like wha was being made in Cuba a he ime, and le ’s say in ou case we began wi h ‘new ools’ and a di e en way o elling, o alk abou he same issues ha had wo ied he p e ious gene a ion, bu now in a much sub le way. None o us we e much in e es ed when hey ook one o ou pain ings om a museum o a galle y, because we we e jus beginning and i was us a ing o hink ha when you a e elabo a ing a ce ain social c i icism ha hey ake i away om you when he idea was ha e e yone should see i . We had all lea ned his p e ious lesson a he well, and i was a way o no op ing o di ec con on a ion. Somehow we lea ned o es ablish ela ions wi h Cuban a ins i u ions, which up o hen had been qui e s ained, and he e was qui e a complex si ua ion, abo e all hinking abou p ojec s like El Cas illo de la Real Fue za (The Cas le o Real Powe ), which happened in 1989 and was a eally powe ul p ojec , c ea ing a con on a ion be ween a is s and ins i u ions, wi h he a is s doing some hing like poli ics. This was he well-sp ing ha nou ished ou hinking, es ablishing a poin o iew ha was a li le mo e ‘accep able’, and so e en s slowly de eloped. Wi hin Ha ana, we we e s ill in e es ed in exhibi ing in places like El Mo o, which is whe e he Ha ana Biennial is held, bu ying o use i ou side he Biennial’s ime ames. Fo us he ci y was u ning in o no only a place o ac ion bu also a isual elemen ha we could use. So we and o he a is s like Ca los Ga aicoa began o make use o he ci y wi h his idea o expe imen a ion ha had appea ed his o ically in Ha ana, bu using i o ou bene i . This is when we began o de elop a ype o a whe e we made e e ence o he Cuban a isanal adi ion ha in ou own case was nea ly always bound up wi h he A CONVERSATION WITH ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA 159 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 obacco g owe s’ union, since i had been so impo an in Cuban his o y om he Wa o Independence o he p esen day. Using he obacco indus y and he obacco wo ke s as a e e en , as a space o dialogue, unde lined ou inspi a ion by Ma ı ´’s ideas, which we had ixed in ou minds. I ’s some hing ha appea s in exhibi ions like El O icio del A e which se ou o escue p o essions o ades. Nea ly all o us we e called Los Ca pin e os, hough we didn’ begin o sign ou wo k wi h his name un il 1994: p e iously we’d signed wi h ou own names, Alexand e, Dagobe o, Ma cos, bu e e yone knew us by ha name, p ecisely because o he echniques we we e using. I: Wha is he o igin o his ela ionship o ca pen y? A: Ou expe ience as ca pen e s began in he o es , because we we e doing e e y hing in a e y p imi i e way, we’d go in o he o es , cu down a ee, wo k i , p epa e i , ind a ac o o some hing we could use, ca y he ee o he school, d y i ou , cu i and make he wo ks. I was some hing eally basic, he e was no hing p e-designed. A e wa ds we couldn’ chop down ees because i had become illegal, and we began o go o abandoned houses, houses ha had belonged o he Cuban bou geoisie be o e he Re olu ion and ha we e s ill emp y, and because we knew ha people in he neighbou hood would go and g ab wha e e was he e, we decided o do he same e en hough he e was a isk ha he police migh su p ise us a i . We began o use he wood om places like ha and his led o a new s age in he his o y o Los Ca pin e os and he meaning o ou wo k. I was in some way a e igu ing o his o y, we we e seeing how all hose inhabi an s o poo qua e s i ed ou hei houses wi h wha hey could s eal om he houses o he ich. The Robin Hood s o y bu done di e en ly .... We saw ha his could wo k a a concep ual le el, his e- app op ia ion o Cuban his o y. Fo ins ance, we’d ake wood om he ences and oo s and cons uc chimneys, in allusion o he bou geois aspi a ion in he o ies o e e yone o ha e a chimney in hei house, some hing comple ely illogical in a opical coun y. I was a game wi h his o y, and we used he wo k o e e o he ecen pas , and I hink i was in his sense ha we de eloped an in e es in ummaging abou in he his o y o Cuba o alk abou con empo a y p oblems. I was some hing ha o en happened: Sand a Ramos, whose eng a ings used he image o Libo io, a ca ica u e used in Cuba du ing he o ies, app op ia ed he icons o ha pe iod and began o use hem o he own pu poses; Ca los Ga aicoa began o use he de elic a chi ec u e o Ha ana, and like an a chaeologis began o escue elemen s ha he pu in o dialogue wi h pho og aphs ha he made o he same places; Es e eo Segu a began o use all o he image y o eligion, mixing i wi h Communis symbology .... E e yone began o ha e a dialogue wi h he his o y o Cuba. I: Is ha when you we e wo king on p ojec s like Ha ana Coun y Club? A: Exac ly. Those a e wo ks ha belong o ou g adua ion. We called ha p ojec In e io Habane o (Ha ana In e io ), because i alluded o he u ni u e o he o ies. We made i using ine wood, all his his o ical was e o ma e ials ha was ne e heless o hand, wha we could ge hold o . In ac , he i s ime we le Cuba, we we e ascina ed by PVC a he han caoba, can you imagine? We wo ked in he houses ha we e a ound he ISA, in he dis ic s o he uppe bou geoisie: a ionalis houses, LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES160 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 houses by impo an a chi ec s .... I was somewha on he ou ski s o he ci y, in Cubanaca ´n, be ween La Lisa and Playas, Ciboney, nea he Palace o Con en ions ... . So i was also somewha mo e pa olled; i you poked abou in a house in Vedado, nobody bo he ed, bu his was a p o ec ed zone. Wi h he ooms in his p ojec , we also c ea ed a ic ion ha was ou g adua ion hesis. Ra he han w i ing a ex abou wha he wo ks mean , abou ou in en ions, we in en ed some hing, concoc ing a le e om a collec o who supposedly li ed in Miami, and hen we elabo a ed a discou se abou why his man was buying ou wo k and why he was in e es ed in wha we we e doing. So we placed ou sel es wi hin he discou se. The le e p o oked all so s o eac ions, and some mon hs a e wa ds he e was an a icle in A Nexus ha alked abou a ycoon in Flo ida who had bough all he wo k by Los Ca pin e os, as i his had eally happened, and we we e su p ised. I: And wha do you make o he way c i icism de ined a gene a ion, o show ha some hing was happening? A: I hink ha a he s a he e was a ce ain con usion and he c i ics began o w i e abou wha we we e doing bu in a a he naı ¨ e way, e y supe icially. E e ybody saw he escue o a isanal adi ions, he c ea ion o new discou ses bu I hink ha people we e igh ened by he engagemen wi h hings ha had less unanimi y. La e exhibi ions like El obje o escul u ado (The Sculp u ed Objec ) ga e a much clea e image o hings and Ge a do Mosque a, who was always a s anda d-bea e in his s o y, began alking abou weeds, e e ing o hose a is s who we e g owing all he ime wi hou he condi ions in which hey wo ked seeming o ma e . A he same ime igu es like Dan Came on began o u n up in Ha ana, hanks o hei connec ions wi h Kcho, who had al eady become a phenomenon du ing hose yea s, and his ga e he imp ession ha he en i onmen was being e eshed, ha we we e no so isola ed. Wi h he a i al o hese so s o igu es who also began o w i e abou wha was happening in Ha ana he i s , pe haps naı ¨ e, phase was o e and we go in ol ed in a much mo e se ious c i ique o wha was happening, and became much mo e conscious o o ming a g oup o linked a is s. We hadn’ w i en a mani es o bu e en as we we e hinking o ge ing ound o doing i , e en as we we e cons uc ing he bloc, he indi idual na u e o he membe s began o become mo e appa en and a ce ain dis ance began o g ow be ween us as we ollowed ou ownlines o g ow h. No we e manya is s in e es ed in g oup shows, hey wan ed indi idual exhibi ions, o gi e hem a name. I: Do you hink he e is a change in he way o concei ing he ole o he a is in socie y compa ed wi h he p e ious decade? A: Well, I hink he change was mo e one o consciousness, because a he a is ic le el I don’ hink any hing we we e pu ing o wa d was a comple e up u e, o ally di e en om wha had been done be o e. In ac , we used a he basic ma e ials in ou wo ks. I hink ha men ally he e eally had been a change because we didn’ jus ha e o hink abou a ha ing an educa i e unc ion as in he eigh ies, as being socially commi ed: now he e is a gene a ion ha is much mo e cynical, no longe in e es ed in p e ious cliche ´s. The e was a momen , o ins ance, when e e yone ea ed Cuba like an island, i seemed like he only way o e e ing o he coun y. So, I hink ha is A CONVERSATION WITH ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA 161 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014 somewha he legacy ha we had adop ed om p e ious gene a ions, o whom he island had become an icon o li ed expe ience. The gene a ion had an impo an in luence and con inues o ha e one, jus as i did in he eigh ies, bu one o he hings ha ma ks a subs an ial di e ence wi h he p e ious gene a ion is ha we had he chance o a elling ou side Cuba, i was al eady di e en . The Gene a ion o he Eigh ies didn’ ha e ha oppo uni y; when hey le he coun y hey didn’ come back. We could come back, we had ha ad an age. Then, in he in e na ional sphe e he e was a much mo e impo an change, especially because wha we once saw as he cliche ´s and commonplaces o Cuban a didn’ wo k ha way ou side Cuba. Somehow we had o eadjus ou discou se, p ecisely because i we we e in e es ed in sailing in o he wa e s, we had o unde s and ha he language o a had o go h ough an impo an me amo phosis. I: Tha is o say, you mo ed close o he language o in e na ional a , abandoned he e e encing o he Cuban a is ic con ex , he quo ing o a and conc e e momen s .... A: P ecisely. A he same ime, I hink we began o iew he phenomenon o Cuba much mo e clea ly, because by c ea ing a dis ance, you ge a clea e iew. A he same ime, whils we we e s ill alking abou Cuba, we began o use he ools and ins umen s ha he in e na ional a is ic milieu was using. We we e ying no o be hypoc i es in any way: he Ha ana con ex abso bed a lo o ene gy and e en i you wan o, you can’ de ach you sel om ha expe ience. We began o alk abou Ha ana, bu a he same ime we also began o es ablish pa allels: o ins ance be ween ci ies – Ha ana, New Yo k, Mad id. One begins o weigh up, o compa e hese new con ex s wi h ha o Ha ana and see how one con ains he o he , o ice e sa, and es ablish connec ions o a ini ies, o di e ences. Mad id, which was ou i s expe ience, ga e us his ision i s , because we had a i ed in a con ex ha seemed simila o us igh om he s a . No opposed eali ies a all. I: Le ’s mo e on. Why did you decide o wo k on you own? A: Rene ´F ancisco always had a saying, I hink i was om Lezama Lima, ha ‘only wha is di icul is s imula ing’. F om he ime I s a ed o make a in a conscious way as a s uden , a e wel e yea s o expe ience in a collec i e, I hink I had exhaus ed ha mechanism o making a , making a in a g oup, wi h o he people. And jus as I had concei ed o wo king wi h Rene ´as some hing ha always changed, I wan ed o ca y on being ue o my aining and ound a new egion o ein en mysel . I don’ hink I’d had my own indi idual expe ience, because I had always been subo dina ed o he expe ience o he g oup; a g oup ha wen h ough slow me amo phoses; i s wi h Rene ´, hen Dagobe o and me, and hen he g oup o Los Ca pin e os p ope ly speaking, wi h Ma cos, Dagobe o, Alexand e, I hink i was igh o h ow mysel in o a new idea. O cou se, in di e en ci cums ances: wi h Ma cos and Dago, he e had been a so o ‘ins i u ion’ and lea ing his en ailed closing a chap e . And I wasn’ jus lea ing a g oup; I was lea ing my galle ies, i was when I le Ha ana as well .... I unde s and he change was necessa y, I didn’ know in wha di ec ion o go, bu you mind dic a es: you ha e o comply, LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL STUDIES162 Downloaded by [Uni e si y o New Mexico] a 10:04 30 No embe 2014