Cuban Art in Flux: Bruguera's Arrest and Changing Landscape Amid US-Cuba Thaw
On December 30, 2014, Tania Bruguera was taken into custody to halt her performance, Tatlin's Whisper #6, at Havana's Plaza de la Revolución. This piece, which encouraged one-minute opinions through a microphone, had been successfully presented during the 2009 Bienal de La Habana. Her arrest came shortly after US President Barack Obama announced a relaxation of the trade embargo. The performance sought to empower Cubans to share their visions for the future, using the hashtag #YoTambienExijo. Bruguera faced two additional arrests, had her passport seized, and risked a 60-day extension in Cuba. This incident sparked criticism of the Castro regime and raised questions about the political isolation of Cuba and its effects on artists, leaving the future of Cuban art in a state of uncertainty.
Key facts
- Tania Bruguera was arrested on December 30, 2014, in Havana, Cuba
- The arrest aimed to prevent her performance Tatlin's Whisper #6 at Plaza de la Revolución
- The performance invites people to share opinions for one minute via microphone
- It had been exhibited without interference during the tenth Bienal de La Habana in 2009
- The arrest followed US President Barack Obama's announcement of a thaw in the US-Cuba trade embargo
- Bruguera's passport was confiscated, and she faced a potential 60-day extension in Cuba by early February 2015
- Only 3.4 percent of Cuban households had internet access as of December 2014
- Wifredo Lam's painting El Tercer Mundo (1965–66) is displayed at Cuba's Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Entities
Artists
- Tania Bruguera
- Wifredo Lam
- Coco Fusco
- Wilfredo Prieto
- Los Carpinteros
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
- Gerardo Mosquera
- Mayrelis Peraza
Institutions
- Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wifredo Lam
- Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
- Fábrica de Arte Cubano
- Esto no es un café
- Bienal de La Habana
Locations
- Havana
- Cuba
- Plaza de la Revolución
- Malecón
- United States