HAVANA, Cuba. – “To you [los artistas que participarán en la XV Bienal de La Habana] They forgot the censorship, the threats, the repression, which have been perpetual in Cuban art; “You prefer an ego or three kilos more than having an honest, dignified posture,” said the visual artist Yulier Rodríguez Pérez (Yulier P.) on the occasion of the event that will take place from November 15 to February 28 of next year. year in the Cuban capital.
About the event, the protesting artist said to CubaNet that “it has always been a circus, a paripé, one of the masks that the regime uses to disguise its true behavior, its true nature, which is censorship, repression and violence.”
Precisely, Yulier P. referred to legal provisions that restrict the freedom of artistic creation on the Island, such as the Decree 349a rule that came into force in December 2018 and regulates independent artistic production.
Another regulation that hinders the creation and dissemination of independent artistic expressions is the Decree 107a provision that limits the activities allowed for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the cultural sector. “It attacks private space, against the right that each individual has to do what they want on their property,” said the creator.
“[Quienes participarán en la XV Bienal de La Habana] they forgot that Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara He is in prison for making art, they forgot Maykel Osorbo and from others; “They forgot the history of years of intimidation against artists, of censorship,” he added.
Likewise, the plastic artist recalled that the shortcomings suffered by the Cuban people are consequences of the same regime that promotes and develops the XV Biennial, as well as the limitations that citizens suffer in expressing reality artistically.
The XV Havana Biennial, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in this edition, is cataloged by representatives of the regime as one of the most important cultural events in the region. A hundred Cuban artists and more than 200 foreigners from various continents will participate in the event.
“The greatness of an artist is not in licking the boots of a regime to promote him, it is in sacrifice, in discipline, in work, in will; From there talent and genius are born,” Yulier P. finally stated.
