The UNLV Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery presents Through Windows, Through Curtains, Call On Us: Contemporary Cuban Art, running from Oct. 1-Nov. 14. This exhibition, featuring the work of four contemporary Cuban artists — the first of its kind in Las Vegas, Nevada — opens the window to the light and air of aesthetic resistance and endurance. Gazing through this window enables gallery visitors to assess first hand Cuban artists peeling away the “invisible” government control associated with idealization in favor of the more compelling and truthful relationship of sustained conversations confronting the collective realities of the downfall of the communist state. The global challenges pressing upon this Caribbean, country following the U.S. embargo and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, fed and invigorated a solidarity within the Cuban art community. This solidarity enabled these engaged artists to confront official Cuban discourse in and outside the island.
At no time did Angel Delgado, Sandra Ceballos-Obaya, Ariel Orozc,o and Sandra Ramos backtrack or waiver in their beliefs and values as they contended with a deteriorated Cuban social fabric. These four selected Cuban artists endured numerous travails in their resistance and collectively moved toward the social responsibility processes of participation. By refusing to be co-opted, these artists developed spaces for artistic freedom during Cuba’s “Special Economic Period” (1990 to the present) that link culture to powerful political change at the end of the 20th century. The artistic debates found in the expressive works of Delgado, Ceballos-Obaya, Orozco and Ramos, juxtapose persuasive aesthetic conversations against the context of artistic repression.
Opening Reception
6-8 p.m. Oct. 16, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery
Opening Talk
5-6 p.m. Oct. 16, Barrick Museum Auditorium
Angel Delgado, Sandra Ceballos-Obaya, Ariel Orozco and Sandra Ramos will be discussing their work in Through Windows, Through Curtains, Call on Us: Contemporary Cuban Art. This conversation also seeks to open a forum for the artists to discuss their experiences inside and outside Cuba and their role in the ala increasing panorama of contemporary Cuban Art. In order to enrich a dialogue, the general public will be welcomed to participate by asking question and sharing their experiences as both artists and spectators of Cuban and contemporary art.
Related Programming
Lecture
October 22, 5 – 6:30pm, Barrick Museum Auditorium
Pablo Medina, Emerson College
Ruins and Clouds: Literature and the Pursuit of Freedom in Contemporary Cuba"
Lecture
October 28, 5 – 6:30pm inside the Barrick Museum Auditorium
Linda S. Howe, Wake Forest University
"Cuban Culture: Accursed Insularity and the Window to Worldliness"
About the Gallery
The Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery at UNLV hosts an outstanding and diverse schedule of changing exhibitions throughout the year. One-person shows, group shows, theme shows and juried competitions can be seen. The gallery is devoted to providing a year-round, visual arts center for the UNLV academic community, residents of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and visitors to the city. The gallery is open to the public on a regular basis throughout the year with no admission charged.
For current program and exhibition information, call 702-895-3893 or visit the gallery website.
Hours: Weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Sundays and state and federal holidays.
Cost: Free and open to the public
