On the Horizon: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection
This exhibition explores the diverse cultural and emotional landscapes of recent Cuban art. It presents a selection of works by Contemporary Cuban artists donated to the museum by Jorge M. Pérez, the majority from a recent gift of over 170 pieces, as well as works previously gifted to PAMM in 2012, and several recent acquisitions. The selection includes multiple images of the horizon, and these works serve to structure the conceptual framework of the exhibition. The diverse meanings placed on the horizon—which include it as a symbol of longing, containment or desire—radiate across the additional works on view. Produced in various media, such as, painting, sculpture, drawing, video, and installation, these contemplative artworks help generate a discussion regarding the specificities of Cuba’s current physical, social, and political environment, as revealed through each artist’s personal experience and unique aesthetics. This exhibition is made possible by the generosity of Jorge M. Pérez.
On the Horizon is presented in three distinct, yet interconnected “chapters,” with a new chapter opening every three months. The exhibition is organized around the metaphor of the horizon line—a motif that appears in many of the works on view—and brings together a strong view of artistic practices in Cuba from the last three decades as well as work by young, lesser-known artists working on the island and across the globe. The individual chapters each explore various meanings of the horizon, which include the vista as a symbol of desire, longing or containment. This symbolic framework helps generate a larger dialogue between the works on view and the specificities of Cuba’s current physical, social and political landscape, as revealed through each artist’s personal experience and unique aesthetics.