The Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale Will Show ~ Unbroken Ties

Wednesday, 28 March 2007 14:19

Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale will present a landmark exhibition drawn from its permanent contemporary Cuban collection, UNBROKEN TIES: DIALOGUES IN CUBAN ART, opening on Friday, May 25 and running through Sunday, October 28, in the Museum’s main first-floor galleries.

The exhibition, which includes nearly 70 works by more than 40 artists, reaffirms the Museum’s commitment to Latin American art in general and Cuban art in particular.  The Museum began actively collecting contemporary Cuban art – including paintings, photographs, graphics, videos, and installations – in 1993, initially concentrating exclusively on the work of Cuban exiles.

That was the focus of Breaking Barriers, a sweeping 1997 survey of the contemporary Cuban collection that took up both floors of the Museum. Nearly a decade after its start the collection was broadened to include works by artists who have remained on the island.  The collection is now the largest, most comprehensive of its kind outside Cuba.

 Unbroken Ties expands on its predecessor – both shows were organized by Jorge H. Santis, the Museum’s curator and head of collection research – by including the art of both Cuban exiles and nationals. According to an introductory catalog essay by Santis, the exhibition “focuses on the survival and perpetuity of Cuban values and the Cuban character beyond the island.  The thesis is put forward by way of pointed comparisons and contrasts between works of art created by immigrants and works by nationals.  The visual dialogues established herein often break generational, gender, and ideological barriers.”

The structure of the show is loosely based on that of a three-act Greek tragedy: “Paradise Lost,” which examines the Cuban paradise that now lies in ruins; “Risking Life and Limb,” which chronicles the voyage of Cuban exiles; and “Unbroken Ties/New Reality,” which documents the range of experiences of those exiles in America.  Among the most prominent artists featured, many of whom are now South Florida residents, are José Bedia, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Enrique Martínez Celaya, Carlos Luna, Tony Mendoza, Glexis Novoa, Tomás Sanchez, and two second-generation Cubans, Carlos Betancourt and Andres Serrano.

The exhibition was widely acclaimed upon its debut at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, where it was on view from November 12, 2006, through March 18, 2007.  For its run at the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Santis has expanded the show to include works by additional artists.  The Museum anticipates sending the exhibition on the road to other institutions after its South Florida debut.

Visit the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale - One E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 : www.moafl.org.

The Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale is located at One E. Las Olas Blvd., in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Arts and Entertainment District on the northeast corner of Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue. Funding for the Museum is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.  Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional annual support provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, JM Family Enterprises, the Sansom Foundation, and David Horvitz and Francie Bishop Good.