Full Description
This volume accompanies the Art Brut CUBA exhibition organised by Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne and features essays by Cuban authors and other experts, reproductions of works and previously unpublished letters from the collection's archives.
The exhibition represents a voyage of discovery that explores the world of outsider art in Cuba more than 40 years after the first exhibition, which came about as a result of Jean Dubuffet's desire to gather together in Collection de l'Art Brut works by self-taught Cuban artists assembled by his friend Samuel Feijóo, the curator of the 1983 exhibition.
Being an island with a distinctive history that has long been isolated for political and economic reasons, Cuba is a fertile breeding ground for artistic creations unaffected by the traditional artistic influences of the world outside.
The exhibition is divided into two sections: the first presents historical works by the Signos Group, founded by Samuel Feijóo in the late 1960s to promote popular Cuban culture through the graphic arts; the second presents works by contemporary outsider artists from the Riera Studio. Most of the works on display are made from recycled materials - cardboard packaging, newspaper, scrap metal, recycled waste - or natural materials, such as wood and jute fibre.
The works reflect the artists' personal experiences, the economic, social and political circumstances of their country, and their inner worlds and obsessions. They offer an alternative and authentic view of Cuba, far from the stereotyped imagery associated with this nation.
Text in English and French.
Contents
9 Preface
Michel Thévoz
13 Art Brut CUBA: Revisiting Cuba at the Collection de l'Art Brut, or la imaginación gráfica cubana ¡triunfa en Suiza!
Sarah Lombardi
53 Dubuffet and Cuba: A Historyof Art and Friendship
Andrea Dal Lago
61 Historic Works from the Signos Group
105 Cuban Art Brut: Towards a Feeling of National Cultural Identity
Edward M. Gómez
113 Art Brut Project Cuba: The First Project to Support and Promote Art Brut in Cuba
Derbis Campos
123 Contemporary Works from Riera Studio
179 Life Through Affections: The Journey of a Tireless Mind
Samuel Riera
185 Daldo Marte: Artist and Superhero
Rosmy Porter
189 Biographies
200 Bibliography
203 Authors
