José Bedia on the 1989 Bienal de La Habana and 'Magiciens de la Terre'
In a 2010 conversation with Lucy Steeds, José Bedia, a Cuban artist born in Havana in 1959 and currently residing in Miami, reflects on his early participation in the Bienal de La Habana and the 1989 exhibition 'Magiciens de la Terre' held in Paris. Bedia, who graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte in 1981, contributed to the first Bienal in 1984 and worked at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. He received a prize in 1986 for an installation influenced by the Lakota Sioux, which led to a solo exhibition at the 1989 Bienal. Bedia expresses his discontent with the Bienal's focus on Western artists and characterizes his piece 'Juguete para niño africano' (1989) as a form of 'silent revenge' for his military service. He departed Cuba in 1990 and encountered censorship during the 1991 Bienal.
Key facts
- José Bedia was born in 1959 in Havana and is now based in Miami.
- He graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana, in 1981.
- Bedia worked in the restoration department of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and helped install the first Bienal de La Habana in 1984.
- He won a prize in the 1986 Bienal for an installation inspired by the Lakota Sioux, facilitated by Jimmie Durham and funded by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.
- His solo exhibition 'Final del centauro' at the Castillo de la Fuerza was part of the 1989 Bienal de La Habana.
- Bedia participated in both the 1989 Bienal de La Habana and 'Magiciens de la Terre' in Paris.
- He criticizes the Bienal for prioritizing Western artists over Third World participants.
- Bedia left Cuba in 1990 and now lives in Miami.
- His work was censored in the 1991 Bienal (removed from Casa de África after five days).
- He was included in a 2009 Bienal group exhibition with Wifredo Lam and Raúl Martínez.
Entities
Artists
- José Bedia
- Lucy Steeds
- Jimmie Durham
- Claes Oldenburg
- Coosje van Bruggen
- Ricardo Brey
- Flavio Garciandía
- Luis Camnitzer
- Twins Seven Seven
- Joe Ben Junior
- Richard Long
- Cyprien Tokoudagba
- Esther Mahlangu
- Gerardo Mosquera
- Nelson Herrera Ysla
- Julian Schnabel
- Joseph Kosuth
- Robert De Niro
- Robert Redford
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Wifredo Lam
- Raúl Martínez
Institutions
- Afterall
- Instituto Superior de Arte
- Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
- Castillo de la Fuerza
- Bienal de La Habana
- State University of New York
- Casa de África
- Centre Georges Pompidou
- Grande Halle de la Villette
- Magiciens de la Terre
- Venice Biennale
- São Paulo Art Biennial
Locations
- Havana
- Cuba
- Miami
- United States
- South Dakota
- Angola
- Africa
- Mexico
- Paris
- France
Sources
- Afterall —