Havana Biennial (From Arkansas to Cuba Part 2)

Travel is a necessity for creative types. Meeting new people, seeing new landscapes, and experiencing new cultures sharpen our senses. Although the following photos from my May trip to observe the inaugural week of the 12th Havana Biennial do not include my own artwork, my exposure to this art scene provides the impetus that gets my creative juices going. Here are the different venues where I experienced the art:

On the Malecón, the five-mile road that embraces the fortress wall and Havana Bay in Old Havana, art was spread our for the masses to enjoy. Much of this art was attuned to that liminal space, incoming vs. outgoing, that it occupied. New York artist Duke Riley was responsible for creating an "ice" rink in the city. What better way to articulate the thaw in relations between the U.S. and Cuba? (Interview with artist)

Another landscape foreign to Havana is the beach, and one of the artists literally created a beach along the seawall.

Incoming to the island were a myriad of ideas and experiences such as this clever wire sculpture so iconic to American culture. 

In the guard barracks and jail cells of El Moro, a slew of artists pushed the boundaries of politics, against the cavernous barrel-vaulted rooms and imposing iron bars. Cuba's vulnerability on this current political precipice was addressed again and again: