1. As far as we know it will be the first presentation of your work in Russia for a wider audience within the  “Art oskva” show. How do you feel about it?

“For me it is like a dream come true, since our countries and cultures have been interlinked for years. the way I am exhibited now is like to come to some new seaport on a ship which is sort of built from achievements, dreams and history we share.”

2. Your work seems to be focused on the idea of traveling? Once you said in one of the interviews: “It is important to me that the work had the characteristics of a game, if a macabre game. These little ships have common, everyday meaning, referring to the migratory mentality of a person that lives of an island. (…)”. Is there anything specific about living on the island that influences your work?

“One day I said that the only thing that will always remain the same for Cuba is the fact that it will always be an island. I, myself, come from another island, the Island of Youth, which is nearby. So those journeys I took back and forth once every 2 or 3 months changed the very notion of a journey for me. The sea became a door and a key would be anything to help to open it -  at times a boat, or a raft or even a log.
“My art is a journey between different ideas and desires. It feeds off the different experiences I have had with different people.”
“The source of my art is an array of historical events, ideas, single moments that I encounter during my infinite journey. In my art I reflect everything that the sea has to offer and how it affects a life on an island. I picture Cuba as a big melting pot, a pressurecooker so to say, where everything is blended together and shows a unique experience living on an island.”

3. In the words of Antonio Benitez Rojo “In Carribean, you oscillate either towards a Utopia or towards a lost past, and this is not only in a political/ideological sense but also, above all, in a socio-cultural sense…”. How would you indicate the context of your work?

“In art there's no such thing as past or present. The continuity is ever present. I don't want to tear myself away from working in Cuba, from being an islander- that is what my art is all about.”

4. It resonates with the utopian ideas of Russian avant-garde – it is obvious that some of your work (for instance “To the Eyes of History”, 1992)  was inspired by the iconic image of Tatlin’s “The Monument to the Third International” – the greatest ode to the social and technical revolution. It is particularly interesting for Russian audience – can you comment on how you re-frame (interpret) Tatlin’s ideas?

“I consider Tatlin a genius. I like the way he portrayed events of then non-existent country. That's why in 1990-91 I decided to pay homage to his art, to make people remember him. It was interesting for somebody who came from a small and warm place to understand someone who worked and created in a very big and mostly cold land (see attached sketch ATTACH SKETCH).

5. You are constantly exhibiting your work at international exhibitions and your art work is represented in various major museum collections. We are looking forward to the opening of your one-object show within the Art Moskva exhibition. Are you planning any other projects in Russia?

“Strange it may seem, this is my first project in Russia, although I have shared some expos and exhibitions with Russian artists before. I have a lot of respect for them and their art. And to have a chance to participate in a project here, is something I am definitely looking forward to.”


The interview was conducted in April 2008 by ARTiculate Art Fund with the help of Marlborough Gallery, NYC. Special thanks to Marlborough Gallery and Pablo Vallecilla for their assistance.

Kcho “La Conversation” is presented at Hall 16, 2nd floor on May 14-18 at Art Moskva.