At a press conference that took place this Wednesday at the Wifredo Lam Center, the prestigious Cuban painter Jorge Rodriguez, general director of that institution, highlighted this event continues to underscore the works of artists that belong to the so called Southern Nations to whom it becomes quite a challenge to insert themselves into the international art exhibitions events.

One hundred and nineteen artists from forty-four nations have been invited to the Havana Biennal, including the Cuban ones. Just about twenty of them come from the United States and several European countries, while artists from Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba will be the most represented at the event.

Fernandez Torres explained the main emphasis of the relation between the arts and its contexts and the mixing of different ways of creating has received particular attention by the organizers of the Havana meeting, so that the arts works will not be shown at one main venue, but instead it will be possible for them to be placed at the most ideal places of the city.

Following this approach open spaces in Centro Habana neighborhood lik Trillo Park, or the venue of El Ciervo Encantado theatre group located in Plaza de la Revolucion district, or the Organic Museum at El Romerillo area in Playa Municipality have been included in the program of the exhibitions.

Ruben del Valle Lantaron, president of the Cuban National Council of Plastic Arts told reporters that since it has become traditional, the Wifredo Lam Arts Center will be the curator of the event that will also be accompanied by a wide reaching program presenting basically Cuban arts works.

Among the more than two hundred different projects and artists that have been submitted to the Havana Biennial organizing committee, he highlighted the second edition of the Behind the Wall, with installations that will be shown all along the waterfront avenue, as well as the one under the name Duty Free Zone, that will be installed at Morro-Cabaña Park that is going to be the largest and most diversified exhibition of Cuban arts never before seen here.

Among the other collateral activities to take place during the upcoming Havana Biennial, conferences, books and performing arts presentations will also take place.

Translation: Roxana Marquez Herrera (Cubarte)