Tania Bruguera detained after 100-hour reading in Havana
On May 24, 2015, Tania Bruguera, a Cuban artist, was arrested at her home in Havana right after she completed a 100-hour public reading of Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism. This performance started on May 22, coinciding with the Havana Biennial's opening and took place in her residence. Among the attendees were art historian Judith Rodenbeck and Pablo Leon de la Barra, the Guggenheim UBS MAP Latin America Curator, who came to show their support. Although police took Bruguera away after the reading, she was back home within a few hours. This incident followed her December 2014 arrest, where she was detained while preparing for a free speech event in Revolution Square, part of a larger crackdown that weekend involving 163 activists and journalists protesting for political prisoners.
Key facts
- Tania Bruguera was detained on May 24, 2015, after a 100-hour reading of Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism.
- The reading started on May 22, 2015, to coincide with the Havana Biennial opening.
- The performance took place at Bruguera's home in Havana.
- Attendees included art historian Judith Rodenbeck and curator Pablo Leon de la Barra.
- Bruguera was led away by police and returned home a few hours later.
- She was previously arrested in December 2014 for planning a free speech performance in Revolution Square.
- Bruguera was one of 163 activists and journalists arrested that weekend.
- Most of those arrested were dissidents protesting for the release of Cuban and Venezuelan political prisoners.
Entities
Artists
- Tania Bruguera
Institutions
- Guggenheim UBS MAP Latin America
- Pan Am Post
- Hyperallergic
Locations
- Havana
- Cuba
- Revolution Square