CubaPLUS Magazine

With celebrations held over three months for the 40th anniversary, including more than 200 exhibitions, dozens of workshops, conferences and more, the XV Havana Biennial came to an end this Friday.

The closing ceremony took place at the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, where the president of the organizing committee, Nelson Ramírez, stated that according to estimates more than half a million people have interacted with the works of the Biennial.

He also reported that the pieces of more than a thousand artists have been enjoyed, considering central and collateral exhibitions. Among them, more than 250 international artists from 57 nations stand out, who have taken on the challenge of covering all their expenses to be able to be present here, in an admirable gesture of love and faith in the art that is shown in the Biennial, Ramírez said.

He also mentioned the more than 150 Cuban artists who have put their personal resources in order to carry out their works and support the event. The speaker said that, in addition to half of the capital's municipalities, there was a presence in the provinces of Matanzas, Las Tunas, Cienfuegos, Holguín, Pinar del Río and Camagüey.

He highlighted that the extensive program started in November, included collaborative and educational activities aimed at diverse audiences, children, adults and people with special needs. Ramírez thanked the efforts of artists, curators, institutions, managers and other professionals involved in the development of this edition. He also expressed gratitude to countries that have supported their participating artists in the Biennial such as Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina. These include Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Norway, Japan and China.

Ramírez said that 42 years ago, the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center was founded with the purpose of researching and promoting the work of this artist, the most universal Cuban painter. Also to establish a horizontal platform for the study and exhibition of visual productions from the countries of the so-called Global South. This objective was materialized through the founding of the Havana Biennial, a space that not only shows the best of international contemporary art in Cuba, but also promotes the work of artists worldwide.

In this line, Ramírez stressed that 62 percent of the international artists participating in this Biennial come from the Global South, with a perceptible majority of Latin Americans. They reaffirm the commitment of the event to diversity and the representation of our geocultural regions, said the president of the organizing committee.

He also recalled the impact of the theoretical event held at the National Museum of Fine Arts, a space that brought together 43 top-level participants, and the attractive project Behind the Wall, a gift to Havana on its 505th anniversary. This edition brought everyone together under the premise Shared Horizons, and according to Ramírez, the next installment in 2027 will take place under the title ¨To reimagine the South¨.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)