small axe 51 • No embe 2016 • DOI 10.1215/07990537-3726818 © Small Axe, Inc.
Re hinking he “T ansna ional”
Ca ibbean Cu a o ial: Poli ics
o Space in “Ca ibe insula :
Exclusión, agmen ación y pa aíso”
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
The main in e es o his essay is he ep esen a ional poli ics o Ca ibbean a exhibi ions
de eloped wi hin Eu opean cul u al and cu a o ial scena ios. In pa icula , I will analyze
he 1998 “Ca ibe insula : Exclusión, agmen ación y pa aíso” a he Museo Ex emeño e
Ibe oame icano de A e Con empo áneo, Badajoz, Spain, one o he majo and mos inno a-
i e cu a o ial ini ia i es in he 1990s o deal wi h he Ca ibbean egion. “Ca ibe insula ” was
a collabo a ion o he ecen ly ounded museum and Casa de Amé ica in Mad id and was
cu a ed by An onio Zaya and Ma ía Llüísa Bo às along wi h a g oup o Spanish Ca ibbeanis s.
Focusing on “Ca ibe insula ,” I will examine how he use o ce ain concep ions associa ed
wi h he Ca ibbean and cons uc ed and ske ched in Eu opean coun ies h ough a exhibi-
ions and cul u al p ac ices complica e unde s andings o Eu ope’s own pos colonial p esen .
Mo e speci ically, I will y o unde s and how “Ca ibe insula ” echoed he egionalized pan-
o ama o pos dic a o ship Spain and coped wi h he “pos colonial” anxie ies and expec a ions
o Spanish a is ic ins i u ions. In so doing, I in end o assess he ole ha Ca ibbean isual
cul u e has played in he con igu a ion o an image o pos colonial Spain, ha is, he ways
hese cu a o ial p ac ices con igu ed and de ined no so much an image o a pos colonial
1-SMX50 Cas ellano (1-19).indd 1 9/12/16 9:50 AM
2 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
Ca ibbean bu one o Spain in ela ion o i s colonial pas , and how he con adic ions and
con lic s o he Spanish cul u al eali y we e cap u ed in his p oduc i e cu a o ial p ocess.
I we we e o conside “Ca ibe insula ” only o i s discu si e s a emen , i would s ill
emain an exe cise in de ining and cons uc ing a de e mined ep esen a ion o Ca ibbean
eali y. Wha ende s “Ca ibe insula ” in e es ing as an objec o analysis, ne e heless, is
ha he exhibi ion a emp ed o b eak wi h p e-es ablished and exo ic concep ualiza ions o
Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ice, some hing ha bu dened he majo p e ious cu a o ial ini ia i es
on Ca ibbean a concei ed om ou side he egion. “Ca ibe insula ” a icula ed a nuanced
app oach o Ca ibbean eali y and p esen ed a da ing use o he exhibi ion space and a mo e
ac i e no ion o spec a o ship. P io o 1998, he majo la ge-scale shows o Ca ibbean a
p oduced ou side o he Ca ibbean—“1492/1992: Un nou eau ega d su les Ca aïbes” (Pa is,
1992); “Ka ibische Kuns Heu e” (Kassel, Ge many, 1994); and “Ca ibbean Visions: Con em-
po a y Pain ing and Sculp u e” (Miami, 1995)— ocused mos ly on pain ing and sculp u e in
hei a emp o ep esen an “au hen ic” image o he Ca ibbean. By o eg ounding a speci ic
pa o he egion, o example, “Ca ibbean Visions” and “Ka ibische Kuns Heu e” somehow
comp omised he cu a o ial endea o o dealing wi h he o ali y o he Ca ibbean egion. In
“Ca ibbean Visions,” ou een Jamaican a is s we e included, a numbe ha a exceeds he
ep esen a ion o o he coun ies and ha con as s wi h he o al absence o a is s om
e i o ies such as Ma inique o Guadeloupe.
The app oach o he Ca ibbean elabo a ed by “Ca ibe Insula ,” on he o he hand,
included many cu a o ial ad ances, hus a emp ing o mo e away om he con adic ions
o “iden i y-exhibi ions” in o de o complica e he locus o cu a o ship and o ocus a en ion
on he complexi y o Ca ibbean eali y and isual p oduc ion.1 The exhibi ion was comple-
men ed by a heo e ical e en and a ca alogue ha includes ex s o key Ca ibbean hinke s.2
A a ime when he ep esen a ion o he Ca ibbean in Spain was solely exempli ied by he
p esence o Cuba and he Dominican Republic, “Ca ibe insula ” ga e a en ion o mani old
con ex s wi hin he egion, oubling he iden i ica ion o he a ea p esen up o hen in Spain
and acknowledging he complex pos colonial and geopoli ical p edicamen o he Ca ibbean.
3
“Ca ibe insula ” in ended o os e an o iginal, aes he ic-o ien ed app oach o Ca ibbean
c ea i i y. I ied o gi e ce ain au onomy o a wo ks o ee hem om a single cu a o ial
logic, encou aging expe imen al and nonlinea app oaches o he exhibi ion display. Al hough
his objec i e, as we will see, was no ully achie ed, he p ojec p esen ed subs an ial di e -
ences wi h espec o p e ious la ge-scale egional shows cu a ed bo h inside and ou side
1 See Reesa G eenbe g, “Iden i y Exhibi ions: F om Magiciens de la e e o Documen a 11,” A Jou nal 64, no. 1 (2005):
90–94.
2 Aside om he con ibu ions o he wo cu a o s, he book con ains ex s by An onio Ga zambide-Géigel, Yolanda Wood,
Adi Ma is, Allison Thompson, Ge ald Alexis, Vee le Poupeye, I ina Ley a-Pé ez, Dominique B ébion, Haydee Venegas,
An onio Ma o ell, Ma ianne de Tolen ino, Ch is ophe Cozie , he Callaloo Company, and Delia Blanco.
3 The a is selec ion is qui e eloquen in ha espec . The show paid a en ion o no mally in a- ep esen ed con ex s (e en
mo e so in Spain) such as A uba, Sain Lucia, and Ma inique.
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he egion.4 In his sense, “Ca ibe insula ” s ands as one o he mos pi o al e en s in he
sea ch o a mo e aes he ically o ien ed embodimen o cu a o ial p ac ices dealing wi h he
Ca ibbean.
I will sugges , he e o e, ha he exhibi ion can only be app oached om an ambi alen
poin o iew. By his, I mean ha any c i icism o he show—and, by ex ension, o o he simi-
la expe iences—can be ealized only by in eg a ing he he e ogeneous, e en con adic o y,
agencies o he ins i u ion, he cu a o s, he spec a o s, and he exhibi ion i sel . Whe eas
Ca ibbean a exhibi ions ha e been ead in a concep ual ein, a en i e abo e all o he
pu pose ha he cu a o ial discou se and each a wo k po ay, a di e en his o y eme ges
when we pay a en ion o he isual a chi e and he o al es imonies o he show. In ou case,
“Ca ibe insula ” aimed o ensu e a space o aes he ics, pu ing in o place a se o s a egies
o display and a is ic app ecia ion ha gene a ed a nego ia ion wi h he Ca ibbean’s poli ics
o space and pe cep ion. Howe e , i emained apped wi hin he con adic ions de i ed om
Spanish pos colonial anxie ies o ep esen a ion, ca ego iza ion, and iden i ica ion o Spain’s
own pas and p esen . The e o e, only by conside ing how hose dimensions we e d i en o
coexis will i be possible o measu e he each o he exhibi ion’s cu a o ial aspi a ions. Fa
om being a unique case, I will a gue, he con adic ions a ising om hose aspi a ions ha e
shaped cu a o ial p ac ices p oduced abou he Ca ibbean egion in he e ogeneous ways.
Con on ing Ca ibbean Cu a o ship
Unde s anding cu a o ship as a complex, ambi alen e ain, whe e mul iple and di e gen
agencies come in o play opens up, I sugges , a pa icula ly sui able posi ion om which o
analyze he complex spa ial poli ics de eloped wi hin pos colonial a exhibi ions abou and
om he Ca ibbean. In many cases, egional a exhibi ions ha e been c i icized only by
looking a hei cu a o ial s a emen s, as i hey we e li le mo e han a di ec ex ension o he
cu a o ’s will. Cu a o ial p ac ices a e, howe e , no only ideas and heo e ical images bu also
p ac ical ma e ializa ions o hose ideas and images, o hey elici mul iple esponses om
hei audiences, gi ing shape o he e ogeneous and con adic o y expe iences and in e p e a-
ions. Al hough exhibi ions a e con igu ed by cu a o s and speci ic a cen e s, exp essing he
in e es s o bo h and somehow “limi ing” he e ain whe e he a p ojec can exp ess i sel ,
hei li es go a beyond he in en ion o he cu a o s o he a cen e s. In his sense, i we aim
o unde s and he spa ial poli ics aking place wi hin a exhibi ions abou he Ca ibbean, i will
be necessa y o concep ualize each p ojec as mo e han a di ec ma e ializa ion o a single
cu a o o a cen e . We will need o conside he cu a o ial as a e ain whe e mul iple and
4 I app ecia e he e he insigh s o Allison Thompson, Yolanda Wood, and Dominique B ébion conce ning Zaya and Bo às’s
engagemen wi h he cases o Ba bados, Cuba, and Ma inique, espec i ely. Thei commen s poin ou he exis ence
o signi ican di e gences in he awa eness and posi ion o bo h cu a o s conce ning hei nego ia ion wi h di e en
Ca ibbean coun ies.
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4 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
occasionally con adic o y o ms o agency come in o play in he e ogeneous ways. To ensu e
a c i ical pos u e owa d Ca ibbean cu a o ial discou ses will equi e, bo owing om K is a
Thompson, ha we anscend “a longe endency in cu a o ial app oaches o Ca ibbean a
o iew i as illus a i e o ideals, ac s e en, o Ca ibbeanness o o his o ical p ocesses in he
egion, ins ead o engaging wha he wo k does isually and aims o a ec and le ing hese
isual and aes he ics ma e s in o m he in e p e a ion, na a ion, and display o he wo k.”5
Thompson’s sugges ions will be pa icula ly salien o my pu poses he e. Th oughou
his essay I will pay a en ion o how “pos colonial” a exhibi ions ha e played a cen al ole
in he con igu a ion o a pos colonial Spain; ha is, he ways “Ca ibe insula ” engages wi h
and e lec s he con adic ions o no only an image o he Ca ibbean, bu also o one o he
“local con ex ” in which i a ises. The ocus on Ca ibbean egional shows aking place in
Spain helps us p o ide a use ul amewo k wi h which o decons uc he p esence o colonial
legacies in p esen day Spanish and Eu opean isual and cul u al poli ics. I should be no ed
ha Ca ibbean eali y is no pe cei ed in he same e ms in Spain as in o he Eu opean me -
opoli an cen e s, such as in he Uni ed Kingdom o F ance. Du ing he 1990s, Spain became
a p i ileged des ina ion o a “cul u al mig a ion” o a is s om he Ca ibbean, cons i u ing,
in he case o Cuba, an al e na i e o he Miami-Ha ana bina y.6 The expansion o Ca ibbean
isual cul u e coincides wi h a momen ma ked in Eu ope by a ense ede ini ion o i s egional
p esen and i s colonial pas .7 In he case o Spain, exhibi ions such as “Ca ibe insula ” came
a a ime o his o ical and social adjus men , when he de elopmen and expansion o he
Eu opean Union was o cing many coun ies o e hink hei ole as pe iphe ies, and pushing
many local iden i y p ac ices, no exemp om a colonial backg ound, o asse hemsel es
wi hin a new “expanded” e ain.
In ecen yea s, we ha e wi nessed a conside able de elopmen in c i ical hinking abou
Ca ibbean cu a o ial p ac ices. Many oices ha e a emp ed o de ine he condi ions unde
which Ca ibbean a is p esen ed and exhibi ed, as well as he ins i u ional and cu a o ial gaps
ha exis in he a is ic pano ama and o wha ex en cu a o ial p ac ices a e s ill a ached o
colonial and pos colonial no ions o egional and na ional iden i y and iden i ica ion.8 The u n
owa d “ egional” a su ey shows ( ha a e qui e he e ogeneous in con en and discou se)
5 K is a Thompson, “How o Ins all A as a Ca ibbeanis ,” in Da id Bailey, Alissand a Cummins, Axel Lapp, and Allison
Thompson, eds., Cu a ing in he Ca ibbean (Be lin: G een Box, 2012), 99.
6 Many enowned Ca ibbean a is s, including Ca los Ga aicoa, Los Ca pin e os, Jo ge Pineda, and o he s, se led in a ious
loca ions in Spain o e his pe iod, and a simila p ocess has aken place wi h in ellec uals (Ra ael Rojas, Jesús Díaz),
w i e s (Abilio Es é ez, An onio José Pon e), and a c i ics and cu a o s (I án de la Nuez, Ge a do Mosque a.)
7 See Ba ba a Vande linden and Elena Filipo ic, eds., The Mani es a Decade (Camb idge, MA: MIT P ess, 2005).
8 Especially ele an in he con ex o he Ca ibbean a e Bailey, Cummins, Lapp, and Thompson, Cu a ing in he Ca ibbean;
Wendy Asqui h, “Expec a ions o Ca as ophe: Ma io Benjamin, Commissions, and Coun e con ex ,” Small Axe, no. 42
(No embe 2013): 227–42; and Clai e Tancons, “Ca ni al and he A is ic Con ac : Sp ing in Gwangju,” Nka: Jou nal o
Con empo a y A ican A , no. 25 (Win e 2009): 106–19.
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wi hin he las yea s o he 2010s, and he inc ease in ansna ional c ea i e p ojec s wi hin
he egion, make hese e lec ions decisi e o he Ca ibbean con ex .9
Al hough hose o ums began o add ess key issues ela ed o he display and modes o
spec a o ship o a is ic p ac ices, hus gene a ing a mo e sha ply ocused iew o he p e-
dicamen o Ca ibbean cu a o ial p ac ice, some pi alls a e s ill p esen in egional cu a o ial
c i icism. Fo example, he e ec s o he ep esen a ion-based condi ion o he c i ique o
exhibi ions—and he p esen ism ha blu s he ac ha Ca ibbean cul u es o display ha e a
long, and con adic o y, genealogy—a e o en o go en.10 Simila ly, he p eeminence o he
“cu a o as s a ” in g oup exhibi ions and he subo dina ion o he aes he ic dimension o he
a wo ks in a o o a di ec and immedia e iden i ica ion o hei con en h ough hei p o -
enance a e also no ully add essed.11 Finally, o he simila i ies can be d awn o he p ocess
o o e looking he complex ela ionship be ween cu a o ial p ac ice and spec a o ship.12
A u he eading o he ole o he Ca ibbean cu a o ial is compulso y. I will a emp o
ackle ha issue, complica ing, h ough he analysis o “Ca ibe insula ,” some o he mos
ecen app oaches o Ca ibbean a ’s ansna ional condi ion. T adi ionally, he e has been
a p e alen endency o dismiss egional shows cu a ed ou side he egion, along wi h hei
ela ed “inside -ou side ” bina ies.13 In examining he special con ex ual p edicamen se ing
as a base o “Ca ibe insula ,” I will a emp o mo e away om such bina y dicho omies as
“us” and “ hem” in o de o unde s and he cu a o ial e ain as a space in which p ocesses
o cul u al domina ion, spa ial con igu a ion, and nego ia ion occu no only a a discu si e
bu also a a p ac ical le el. I will hen conside wha happens when we acknowledge he
p oblema ic exis ence o a exhibi ions, one ha is pa ially independen o he will o cu a o s
and a ins i u ions. Tha is, wha happens when we no longe conside exhibi ions as di ec
9 These include “Ca ibbean: C oss oads o he Wo ld” (New Yo k, 2012), “Rocks one and Boo heel: Con empo a y Wes
Indian A ” (Ha o d, Conn., 2010), and “In ini e Islands: Con empo a y Ca ibbean A ” (New Yo k, 2007) in he Uni ed
S a es, and “Who Mo e Sci-Fi Than Us” (Ame s oo , Ne he lands, 2012), “A o Mode n: Jou neys h ough he Black
A lan ic” (Li e pool, 2010), and “K éyol Fac o y” (Pa is, 2009) in Eu ope, o name jus a ew. No all o hese exhibi ions
we e es ic ed o he Ca ibbean, al hough hey all in ended o place he egion wi hin spa ial con igu a ions, complica ing
he iden i ica ion be ween e i o y and con ex . Since he analysis o hose shows is no he objec i e o his a icle, i can,
howe e , be no ed ha hey we e cen e ed on he e o mula ion o he ela ionship be ween na ional iden i y and diaspo a,
he a icula ion o a b oade mapping o Ca ibbean cul u e, and he s a egies used by a is s and cu a o s o eschew he
“bu den o ep esen a ion” imposed by ex e nal in e es s. Fo a c i ical examina ion o each show, see Ca los Ga ido
Cas ellano and Dominique B ébion, eds., De los úl imos c eado es de mapas: Pensamien o c i ic y exposiciones colec i as
de a e ca ibeño (Mad id: La Disc e a, 2012).
10 Much has been w i en on his subjec . Wha emains, howe e , is o concei e o Ca ibbean c ea i e ac i i ies and a is ic
spaces wi hin a mo e comp ehensi e logic o powe and labo ela ions, and no as an exclusi e, isola ed a ea, a need ha
is e en mo e p essing when we conside how a is ic p ac ice “colonizes” ex a-a is ic sphe es.
11 This becomes e en mo e p essing in egional, “pos colonial” exhibi ions, whe e he majo in en is o condense he ele-
men s by ea u ing a speci ic “pe iphe al” egion. Fo a c i ical e iew o ha p ocess, see Emma Ba ke , Con empo a y
Cul u es o Display (New Ha en, CT: Yale Uni e si y P ess: 1999); Paul O’Neill, ed., Cu a ing Subjec s (London: Open
Edi ions, 2007); and F ancesco Bonami, “Global Tendencies: Globalism and he La ge-Scale Exhibi ion,” A o um 42, no. 3
(2003): 152–63.
12 Ve y ew e e ences can be ound conce ning he decisi e ans o ma ions on con empo a y a spec a o ship in he
Ca ibbean. As excep ions, we can men ion Leah Go don, “Kana al: Vodou, Poli ics, and Re olu ion on he S ee s o
Hai i,” Radical His o y Re iew, no. 115 (Win e 2013): 169–83; and Clai e Tancons,“Cu a ing Ca ni al? Pe o mance in
Con empo a y Ca ibbean A ,” in Bailey, Cummins, Lapp, and Thompson, Cu a ing in he Ca ibbean, 37–63.
13 See, o example, Yolanda Wood, “A e del Ca ibe: El decenio que e minó el siglo XX,” A e po Excelencias, no. 1 (2009):
13–20.
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6 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
p oduc s o de i a ions o pe sonal o ins i u ional will, and we a emp , ins ead, o app oach
hei in( e )dependen loca ed exis ence? In engaging hese issues, Ch is ophe Cozie has
poin ed ou ha “we emain nameless bu labeled images.”14 Taking up Cozie ’s obse a ion,
h ough he case o “Ca ibe insula ,” I will explain how his p oposi ion can be de eloped.
“Ca ibe insula : Exclusión, agmen ación y pa aíso”
“Ca ibe insula ” eme ged as a collabo a ion be ween he hen ecen ly c ea ed Museo
Ex emeño e Ibe oame icano de A e Con empo áneo (MEIAC), loca ed in Badajoz, and
Casa de Amé ica in Mad id.15 I was cu a ed by An onio Zaya and Ma ía Lluïsa Bo às, and
i b ough o Spain he wo ks o o y-six a is s om wel e Ca ibbean coun ies. Mo eo e ,
i ga he ed oge he ou een academics, Ca ibbeanis s, a c i ics, and cu a o s bo h om
inside and ou side he egion. The exhibi ion e lec ed he in e es in a om he Ame icas ha
MEIAC had shown since i s incep ion.16 The exhibi ion expanded i s scope o many a is ic
p ac ices ha had p e iously emained seconda y. The con igu a ion o imme si e ins alla-
ions, pe o ma i e ac ions, and he sc eening o ideo a wo ks ook a leading ole wi hin he
exhibi ion amewo k. Spec a o s could expe ience, h ough mul iple senso ial app oaches, a
se ies o a wo ks ha demanded di e en eac ions. To ha in e es in he pa icipa o y and
he imme si e—which dis anced he exhibi ion om he anxie y o de ining wha could s and
o he Ca ibbean and how o deal wi h he ep esen a ion o Ca ibbean iden i y—we should
add he in e es in p esen ing he ongoing ad ances o a young gene a ion o c ea o s who
14 Ch is ophe Cozie , “No es on W es ling wi h he Image,” in Ch is ophe Cozie and Ta iana Flo es, W es ling wi h he
Image: Ca ibbean In e en ions (Washing on, DC: Wo ld Bank, 2011), 9. One o he mos in e es ing poin s made by Cozie
ela es o he conside a ion ha “local” Ca ibbean con ex s ha e al eady been engaging in in e na ional deba es be o e,
and besides, he p esence o o eign cu a o s and ac o s.
15 The museum was c ea ed in 1994 as pa o he cul u al ini ia i es ollowing he commemo a ion o he quincen ennial
o he “disco e y” o he Ame icas held in 1992. Tha yea ma ked a de elopmen al explosion in Spain. Pe haps mos
emblema ic o his phenomenon was he 1992 Uni e sal Exposi ion in Se ille (Expo ’92).
16 P io o 1998, MEIAC had p esen ed he wo k o Ca los Capelán and a g oup exhibi ion on A e Madí, hus ini ia ing a en-
dency ha would con inue h oughou he ollowing yea s. “Ca ibe insula ” was, in any e en , he mos ambi ious exhibi ion
de eloped by he museum in he 1990s.
Figu e 1. Annalee Da is, Ba bados in a
Nu shell, 1996. Ins alla ion. Cou esy o he
a is
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Figu e 2. Albe Chong, The Sis e s, 1986. Pho og aph. Cou esy o he a is
1-SMX50 Cas ellano (1-19).indd 7 9/12/16 9:50 AM
8 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
Figu e 3. Albe Chong, Sea ed P esence, 1992. Pho og aph. Cou esy o he a is
1-SMX50 Cas ellano (1-19).indd 8 9/12/16 9:50 AM
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began o gain in e na ional ele ance in he ea ly 1990s. The show was a pionee in exhibi ing
he wo k o a is s and collec i es such as Los Ca pin e os, Ca los Ga aicoa, Albe Chong,
Belkis Ramí ez, Jo ge Pineda, Pascal Mecca iello, Ch is ophe Cozie , Ma c La amie, Annalee
Da is, and Tania B ugue a, who had eme ged be ween he la e 1980s and he ea ly 1990s.
The cu a o ial discou se o “Ca ibe insula ,” exp essed h ough a oluminous ca alogue,
aimed o elabo a e a c i ical iew o Ca ibbean a unde s ood as opposi ional o he o ces
o Wes e niza ion in he a wo ld. Poin ing ou he exclusion ha Ca ibbean c ea o s ha e
expe ienced when ying o engage wi hin in e na ional a enas, i ou lined he cosmopoli anism
o he egion, p esen ing an a “ ha despi e being in e io ized does no become p o incial, bu
ha on he con a y insc ibes i sel wi hin cosmopoli an pos mode ni y.”
17
Th ough he a is ic
selec ion, cu a o s Zaya and Bo às in ended o explo e he mos ecen c ea i e de elop-
men s o he egion, aiming o cap u e he “di e si y” o “an a is ic phenomenon ma ching
decons uc ion, globaliza ion, pos colonial discou se and he end o his o y.”18 Mo eo e , hey
sough o p i ilege p ocesses ha we e p oducing a c i ical unde s anding o Ca ibbean eal-
i y: “We ha e ied o selec ha con empo a y a ha akes pa in he pe manen con lic
be ween a dominan , uni ying and subjuga ing cul u e, and ano he domina ed cul u e, one o
esis ance, since his con lic is a salien ea u e o Ca ibbean a o nowadays.”19
Asse ions like hese jeopa dized some cu a o ial choices, such as he inclusion o in ui-
i e a is s alongside con empo a y discou ses, supposedly in eg a ing and ep esen ing a
common e hos, and somehow biased he pe cep ion o some o he a wo ks as “ esis ance
a .” By d awing a s o y o Ca ibbean a unde s ood as a pe iphe al eali y, he display o
“Ca ibbean a ” emained apped in he o ien a ion owa d he e y con en i sough o
escape. Sha ing o a g ea ex en he “new cu a o ial he o ic o lexibili y, connec i i y, ans-
o ma i i y, in e subjec i i y, con ex uali y, collabo a ion, and hyb idi y” ha Paul O’Neill ecog
-
nizes in many cu a o ial p ac ices om he 1990s, “Ca ibe insula ” aimed o p ojec a nuanced
iew o he p edicamen o cul u al p oduc ion wi hin he egion wi hou acknowledging ha
he exhibi ion i sel was comp omised by he con adic ions implici in ha p edicamen .20
I also ob ia ed he ac o cu a o ial p ac ice being a decisi e ac o o a is ic media ion,
esponsible o ansplan ing a whole hough on Ca ibbean poli ics o ep esen a ion o a
place as emo e om he Ca ibbean as Badajoz. Tha said, my in en ion is no o c i icize
he pi alls o MEIAC’s “pos colonial” app oach o he Ca ibbean. Ins ead, I will asse he e
17 “Que a pesa de in e io iza se no de i a en p o incianismo, sino que po el con a io se insc ibe de pleno de echo en la
pos mode nidad cosmopoli a”; An onio Zaya and Ma ía Lluïsa Bo às, “In oducción: Ul ama ina,” in An onio Zaya and
Ma ía Lluïsa Bo às, eds., Ca ibe insula : Exclusión, agmen ación y pa aíso (Badajoz and Mad id: MEIAC and Casa de
Amé ica, 1998), 13. Unless o he wise indica ed, all ansla ions a e my own.
18 “Un enómeno a ís ico coinciden e con la decons ucción, la globalización, el discu so pos colonial y el inal de la
his o ia”; ibid., 11.
19 “Hemos a ado de selecciona aquel a e ac ual que oma pa ido en el con lic o pe manen e en e una cul u a dominan e,
in eg ado a y de some imien o y o a cul u a dominada, de Resis encia, iendo en ella una cons an e del a e del Ca ibe de
hoy”; ibid., 13.
20 Paul O’Neill, The Cul u e o Cu a ing and he Cu a ing o Cul u e(s) (Camb idge, MA: MIT P ess, 2012), 110.
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16 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
ha he cu a o ial discou se aimed o . The s a emen s made by he a is s pa icipa ing in
he show we e pa icula ly insis en on his dimension.34
Al hough acknowledging he he e ogenei y o app oaches o e ed by he exhibi ion, Span-
ish c i ics placed g ea e emphasis on he hema ic aspec s o he show. The e we e, howe e ,
excep ions. Rosa Oli a es dedica ed a six-page e iew o he exhibi ion in he popula jou nal
Lápiz. Elabo a ing u he on he idea o a nonexo ic concep ualiza ion o he Ca ibbean ha
was a he base o he cu a o ial discou se, Oli a es ecognized ha he in e es in ca ego izing
and exhibi ing he Ca ibbean was di ec ly ela ed o an a emp o ede ine Spain’s colonial
pas and pos colonial p esen . The ex —which uses he inclusi e noso os (we), hus e e ing
o he Spanish communi y as a whole—cen e ed he analysis on issues o spec a o ship in
Spain, which se ed as a sp ingboa d o con ex ualizing he exhibi ion display.35
Coun e ing he p eeminence o he isual and he con empla i e, he a wo ks exhibi ed
in “Ca ibe insula ” demanded di e en app oaches om he public, in ol ing a mul isenso ial
engagemen and a special p ominence o p ocess-o ien ed, open-meaning a wo ks: Ma cos
Lo a’s ins alla ion, o example, included ewo ked objec s, a message ansmi ed h ough
a phone, and g aphic design; El is López p esen ed a ideo wi hin a space illed wi h neon
sculp u es; Ma c La amie’s ins alla ion, con igu ed in si u, ga he ed p e ab ica ed objec
al e ed by he a is ; Allo a and Calzadilla designed a dance loo speci ically o he exhibi ion,
which equi ed audience pa icipa ion in o de o unc ion; some hing simila occu ed wi h
An onio Ma o ell’s ins alla ion; F eddie Me cado pe o med a he show’s opening; Ca los
Ga aicoa c ea ed a jukebox as pa o an in-si u ba scene; and Tania B ugue a con igu ed
a laby in h and pe o med inside i . All hese p ojec s p oduced a singula image ne e seen
in o he Ca ibbean g oup exhibi ions showcased ou side he egion. The p eponde ance o
imme si e and pa icipa o y a wo ks somehow added g ea e complexi y o he in e p e a-
ion o each p ojec , he eby challenging he expec a ions ha many Spanish spec a o s had
abou he egion.
Simila ly, many a wo ks we e ep esen a i e o ongoing p ocesses aking place wi hin he
Ca ibbean egion ha we e aimed a ans o ming he impac o a on local public sphe es.
The a is s ep esen ed in he show we e in many cases de eloping o ini ia ing a is - un
spaces h oughou he egion, an elemen ha was palpable wi hin he exhibi ion display.
The exhibi ion also p oduced a u n owa d mo e collabo a i e, imme si e, and pa icipa-
o y p ac ices, joining a collec i es and oicing a c i ical conce n abou he ole ha a is s
should play wi hin he a sys em. In addi ion, he exhibi ion ocused on ques ioning no only
34 In p epa ing his essay, I in e iewed he ollowing a is s: Alexand e A echea, Wins on B anch, E nes B éleu , Albe
Chong, Ch is ophe Cozie , Annalee Da is, Pascal Mecca iello, Osai a Muyale, Jo ge Pineda, Belkis Ramí ez, and Ma cos
Lo a Read. Though no all o hem we e able o a end he show, many o hem had a s udio isi wi h he cu a o s and
emembe ha ing had con e sa ions on he moun ing o each a wo k in he museum. In he case o al eady p oduced
a wo ks, he e we e di e en p ocesses o selec ion: in some cases (as o Meca iello), he a wo k was chosen om he
las solo exhibi ion; in o he s (as o Muyale), h ough a s udio isi and a con e sa ion; inally, in some cases, he na ional
museum was used as a condui o con ac ing he a is (as o Chong).
35 Rosa Oli a es, “El pa aíso no exis e,” Lápiz: Re is a In e nacional de A e, no. 147 (No embe 1998): 68–74.
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SX51 [ 11.2016 ] 17
Figu e 7. Cha les Juhász-Al a ado, T ans es oys, 1998. Ins alla ion. Cou esy o Cha les Juhász-Al a ado and Ana Rosa Ri e a
1-SMX50 Cas ellano (1-19).indd 17 9/12/16 9:50 AM
18 [ Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano ] Re hinking he “T ansna ional” Ca ibbean Cu a o ial
ep esen a ional and iden i y issues bu also wide no ions o isual app op ia ion and com-
modi iza ion en isaged h ough a s ong p esence o e nacula elemen s wi hin he selec ed
a wo ks. Many o he exhibi ed p ojec s deal di ec ly wi h e e yday Ca ibbean e nacula
issues. In hese cases, ins ead o p o iding he elemen s o iden i ica ion and ca ego iza ion
o an a wo k’s meaning, a mo e open and less explana o y engagemen —an “un ansla able”
p esen a ion o he a wo k—was a o ed.36
Exhibi ion Making and Spa ial Poli ics
In his essay, I ha e a gued ha any eading o cu a o ial p ac ices o Ca ibbean a de eloped
ab oad canno be based solely on a igid di ide be ween “au hen ic” app oaches and “mis-
leading” images. Ra he , i is necessa y o unde s and he spa ial poli ics aking place wi hin
each show, in each ins i u ional con ex . In many ways, “Ca ibe insula ” signi ied a majo s ep
in inse ing a c i ical consciousness in o in e na ional cu a o ial app oaches o Ca ibbean a . I
was concei ed as pa o a b oad in es iga ion in o he genealogies o Ca ibbean a .
37
Despi e
i s pi alls and he anxie ies o he pos colonial backg ound in which i a ose, he 1998 show
aimed (again, wi hou ully achie ing his goal) o acknowledge he au onomy, he c ea i e
po en ial, he expe imen al cha ac e , and he he e ogenei y o Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ice.
I a emp ed o unc ion as a labo a o y o ( hen) new ways o concei ing Ca ibbean a is ic
p ac ice as well as a pla o m in Eu ope o many young Ca ibbean a is s.
Howe e , as al eady no ed, he exhibi ion, a he same ime, emained la gely apped in
au ho ial concep ions o cu a o ship and colonial expec a ions. Al hough paying a en ion o
aes he ic c i e ia, he cu a o s b ough oge he a g oup o a wo ks ac ing as a “su ey” o he
a is ic p oduc ion and e en he cul u e o a egion; many o he a is ic p ocesses included
in he show could no be ansplan ed in o Badajoz, being p esen only h ough documen a-
ion and consequen ly losing much o hei meaning.38 The o ien a ion o he show owa d a
Spanish spec a o ship also ac ed in his sense. The image o he Ca ibbean as a pe iphe al
space o esis ance and c ea i i y was in ended o mi o he disloca ed image o MEIAC and
Ex emadu a wi hin he con ex o he Eu opean Union. The ision d awn by “Ca ibe insula ,”
hen, esponded bo h o he unease o Spanish a ins i u ions as well as o he ongoing
changes ha we e aking place wi hin Ca ibbean a is ic p ac ice.
36 Sa a Maha aj, “Pe idious Fideli y: The Un ansla abili y o he O he ,” in Sa ah Campbell and Gilane Tawad os, eds.,
Anno a ions 6: Mode ni y and Di e ence (London: InI a, 2001), 26–36.
37 Bo h cu a o s, especially Zaya, had as expe ience in he ield o Ca ibbean a by he ime “Ca ibe insula ” was p e-
sen ed. Th ee yea s ea lie , hey had cu a ed he ambi ious “Cuba siglo XX: Mode nidad y sinc e ismo” (1995, Las Palmas
de G an Cana ia, Spain), which is oday s ill one o he mos comp ehensi e exhibi ions o Cuban a p oduced in Eu ope.
See An onio Zaya and Ma ía Lluïsa Bo às, eds., Cuba siglo XX: Mode nidad y sinc e ismo (Las Palmas: CAAM, 1995).
38 Acco ding o he con e sa ions I had wi h MEIAC pe sonnel esponsible o s aging he exhibi ion, many a is s we e
p esen a he show, and some o hem moun ed hei wo k in si u; o he s we e unable o a el o he enue.
1-SMX50 Cas ellano (1-19).indd 18 9/12/16 9:50 AM
SX51 [ 11.2016 ] 19
Acknowledgmen s
The esea ch o his pape a ises om a long exchange wi h Ca ibbean a is s and cu a o s. I has been
conduc ed in many places, among hem Duke Uni e si y and New Yo k Uni e si y in he Uni ed S a es;
he Cen o Wi edo Lam and he Uni e sidad de Pue o Rico in he Ca ibbean; and he Museo Nacional
Cen o de A e Reina So ía and he Museo Ex emeño e Ibe oame icano in Spain. I would like o acknowl-
edge he con ibu ions o hose who sha ed hei imp essions and isual ma e ials on “Ca ibe Insula ”:
Yolanda Wood, Dominique B ébion, Alissand a Cummins, Ch is ophe Cozie , Albe Chong, Annalee
Da is, Osai a Muyale, Wins on B anch, E nes B éleu , Alexand e A echea, Belkis Ramí ez, Jo ge Pineda,
Pascal Mecca iello, Cha les Juhász-Al a ado, and Ma io Benjamin. Special hanks as well o Susana
Mo alo and Rocío Nicolás Blanco om MEIAC in Badajoz. This essay has been unded by he Fundação
pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia unde he g an SFRH/BDP/92492/2013.
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