Art In A Neon Cage: Welcome To The Havana Biennial:
“May, 2012
In Cuba’s socialist economy, if you want a well-paid career, you probably won’t find it as a lawyer or engineer. You may do much better as an artist. Successful Cuban artists travel abroad, benefit from state support and can earn huge sums selling their work to foreign buyers.
And every two years, they get a shot at a breakthrough at the Havana Biennial, which has become one of the most important art events in Latin America.
The biennial’s home is Havana’s La Cabana fortress. Built late in the 18th century, it was the largest Spanish colonial fortification in the Americas. It’s been a grim place for much of its history, serving as a military garrison, a prison and the site of some notorious firing-squad payback after the Cuban Revolution.
But this month, as the center of Havana’s Biennial, it makes for an art gallery like no other.”
(Via NPR Topics: Visual Arts.)