Dear subscribers, Please find enclosed our press release regarding the opening of the exhibition "el otro lado del alma" in Havana. The same text is available as PDF and Word documents from our website www.afrocuban.org in German, English, Spanish and French. Best regards, Moritz Neumueller Claudia Hundius Nelson R. de Arellanos ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + EXHIBITION TITLE: El otro lado del alma. Afrocuban Religions in Contemporary Photography. + EXHIBITION DATES: February 11th, 2003 - March 6th, 2003 + EXHIBITION VENUE: La Fototeca de Cuba (National Museum of Photography) Havana, Cuba + OPENING: Tuesday, February 11th, 2003, 5 p.m. + PRESS PREVIEW: Monday, February 10th, 2003, 5 p.m. + CONTACT: + Moritz Neumueller, Vienna. Tel. +43 676 75 11 949, Email: [log in to unmask] + Nelson R. de Arellano, Havana. Tel +53 7 8622530, Email: [log in to unmask] + WEBSITE: www.afrocuban.org +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Press Release ------------- ** Religions return to Cuba ** * Seminal exhibition on Afrocuban Religions in contemporary Cuban photography and video art to be shown at Havana's National Museum of Photography * Abstract: In mid-February, a seminal photography exhibition on the Afrocuban Religions is to be opened in Havana. Though they have been banned from public life for decades, the religions of African origin have played an important role in shaping Cuban culture and national identity. Even Fidel Castro himself is said to be involved in these cults. La Fototeca de Cuba, Havana’s National Museum of Photography, is proud to present el otro lado del alma: Afrocuban Religions in Contemporary Photography. The show will bring together over 80 works by thirteen contemporary Cuban photo-graphers and video artists whose work reflects the Afrocuban religions, opening to the public on February 11th, 2003. The project has been initiated and organized by the Austrian curator Moritz Neumueller and event manager Claudia Hundius from Argentina, in association with Fototeca’s Director Lourdes Socarrás and Chief Curator Nelson R. de Arellano. * * * “Our view of Cuban photography is still based on the iconic portraits of Che Guevara and the great achievements of Epic Photography. Today, Cuban photography and video art strongly interacts with the international movements. Yet, these contemporary artists also reflect Cuba's African heritage in their work. El otro lado del alma marks the first photography exhibition dedicated to the influence of the Afrocuban Religions”, says the curator of the exhibition, Moritz Neumueller from Austria. The Afrocuban Religions stem from West African cults brought to the New World by slaves imported to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations. The Africans carried with them various cultural traditions, generally based on a communication process with ancestors or deities, the use of animal sacrifice and the practice of sacred drumming and dance. Despite the slaveholders’ intentions to convert the slaves to Catholicism, they were able to preserve the essence of their religions by fusing certain aspects with elements from the surrounding Spanish Catholic culture. These religions have even survived decades of banishment under the influence of Soviet Marxism. Since the religious liberation of 1991, the Afrocuban Religions have played an even stronger role in shaping Cuban culture and national identity. Contemporary Cuban photographers engage with the religious subject matter from a range of perspectives. One end of that spectrum is defined by documentary photography, such as the work of Jorge Luis Álvarez Pupo, Raúl Cañibano, Elio Delgado, Humberto Mayol, and Ramón Pacheco. The other is marked by a conceptual approach to the African heritage (Pedro Abascal, Ricardo Elías) and the definition of transcultural (Liudmila y Nelson). Marta María Pérez Bravo and René Peña inscribe the symbols of a genuinely Afrocuban language into their self-portraits, while Kattia García investigates about female role models in contemporary Cuban society, by depicting women in their daily practices. Sandra Ramos who is known for her multiples and prints has produced large digital photographs and a video on the pilgrimage to San Lazero. This selection tries to highlight the individual artists’ profound interpretation of the collective spiritual memory of a nation that has been called “Latin-African” by its supreme leader, Fidel Castro. The curator of the show concludes that “the fantastic iconography of the Afrocuban religions and their relation to the richly facetted Cuban photographic tradition invite a careful look at these contemporary artists in order to uncover new insights into el otro lado del alma, the other side of the Cuban soul”. EDUCATIONAL MEDIA A great effort has been made to furnish the exhibition with educational media, which will be especially helpful for the touring in Europe and the Americas. An original, twenty-minute documentary on the artists’ approaches to Afrocuban spirituality has been produced exclusively for this show. Six of the most important cults are presented by ethnologists, artists, historians, journalists and by those who practice them in their daily lives. The narrative thread of the film is provided by African myths which have been brought to the New World by the slaves and passed on from one generation to the other. Thus, the visitor shall be able to experience the renaissance of the religions in Cuba in a both personal and authentic manner. Additionally, computer terminals in the galleries will enable the visitor of the exhibition to navigate further information in a multimedia presentation. This interactive and multilingual (Spanish, English, German) CD-ROM contains all exhibited works and artists, naturally complimented with short descriptions, CVs, and an extensive textual archive. PUBLICATIONS A multilingual, 40 page printed catalog, including texts by Natalia Bolívar (one of Cuba's most important anthropologists) and an essay by the Cuban art critic Eugenio Valdés Figueroa, will be published for the touring. PRESS KIT A press kit can be inquired directly from the exhibition team. Please do not hesitate to send an email to [log in to unmask] Furthermore, we invite you to consult our Web page at www.afrocuban.org. FACTS AND FIGURES: · El otro lado del alma (the other side of the souls) consists of 80 works, primarily b/w photography (gelatine silver prints) in the measurements 30 x 40 cm (12 x 14 inches) and 40 x 50 cm (14 x 16 inches). Furthermore, there will be digital prints in great dimensions, video art and an installation work. · Moritz Neumueller, PhD is an independent curator and documentary film maker. After his studies of Art History and Economy, Neumueller (b. 1972 in Linz, Austria) has gained practical experience at MoMA’s Department of Photography in New York and with various independent projects. · Event manager Claudia Hundius (b. 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) studied Hotel Management in Leysin, Switzerland. She has held management positions in the service industry in Latin America, Europe and the US. · The project was initiated in October of 2001. The costs will be covered by the touring fees and sponsorships. This initiative is supported by the Austrian Embassy in Cuba, the Austro-Cuban Society and the Cuban Institute for Friendship among the Peoples (ICAP). Media partners for the documentary are the Austrian Broadcasting Company (ORF), as well as the production companies Satel and WNTV. · La Fototeca de Cuba is the National Museum of Photography, located on the “Plaza Vieja”, in Havana’s historical center. The museum was founded in 1986 and is now directed by Lourdes Socarrás. It contains a collection of more than 66,000 works, the National Photography Archive and a laboratory, which can be used by all Cuban photographers free of charge. Chief curator Nelson R. de Arellano is responsible for the museum’s artistic direction. The Fototeca’s Web Site (in Spanish language only) is located at: www.cnap.cult.cu/instituciones/fototeca.html El otro lado del alma will tour through Europe, Latin America and the US until the beginning of 2006. Exact schedules available upon request. ### Friday, January 17th, 2003 Moritz Neumueller, PhD. Weissgerberlaende 58/2/21 A-1030 Vienna, Austria Email: [log in to unmask] Phone: +43-1-9660544 Mobile: +43-676-75 11 949 Fax: +43-1-7145673 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).