CUBA! at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

I just saw the exuberant exhibition of Cuban art in at the Montreal MFA, and was impressed by the way the art and history of the island were interwoven so cohesively. The show ranges from landscapes of sugarcane and sea, to political posters, to the journalistic photos of Walker Evans, to contemporary video installations and the collectively painted Salon de mai mural (1967) (see below). It explores various notions of "cubanidad", on both the personal and national level.

A common theme was the insularity of Cuba, and the importance of the sea in identity. This idea is expressed very well in the poem "La isla en peso" ("The Weight of the Island") by the poet Virgilio Pinera:

"...sintiendo como el agua lo rodea por todas partes/ mas abajo, mas abajo, y el mar picando en sus espaldas/ un pueblo permanece junto a su bestia en la hora de partir/ aullando en el mar, devorando frutas, sacrificando animales/ siempre mas abajo, hasta saber el peso de su isla/ el peso de una isla en el amor de un pueblo."

As a frequent visitor to Canada from the south, I was surprised by the lack of politics surrounding the show, and the true focus on the art (appropriate for a museum, I suppose). What did remind me of the political side was the fact that I was unfamiliar with most of the artists represented (Maria Madelena Compos-Pons was not included)such as the Cuban-born French painter Wilfredo Lam.

Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to Today
at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Until June 8, 2008