Carolina Sandretto's 'Cines de Cuba' documents the island's abandoned cinemas

Italian photographer Carolina Sandretto, based in New York, spent four years traveling across Cuba to photograph all 694 cinemas that existed on the island in the 1950s. Today only 19 remain active; the rest have been repurposed or abandoned. Her book 'Cines de Cuba' presents this photographic journey as a reflection on media consumption and cultural heritage. Sandretto notes that cinemas, once communal gathering places from the 1950s to the 1970s, have been replaced by individual smartphone screens. The book aims to document this invaluable heritage spread across the island, capturing the timeless beauty of decaying spaces awaiting revival. The volume will be presented to the public on October 25 at Camera in Turin, on October 26 at FM Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea in Milan, and on October 27 at Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.