A new look at the modern art of Cuba
By Dana Niland
Cuba Journal Contributor
“Growing Up in Neverland,” an exhibition featuring the work of eight contemporary artists from Cuba, opens March 4 at The University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, and will run through March 18.
The exhibition is a co-presentation of The University of Tampa, the Tampa Museum of Art and The Cuban Arts Group.
The featured artists from Cuba are Ernesto Leal, Pedro Pablo Oliva, Sandra Ramos, Lázaro Saavedra, Esterio Segura and the collective known as The Merger.
A variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, video, prints and installation, will be represented in the exhibit.
“Growing Up in Neverland” is designed to “reflect the everyday concerns that weigh on the Cuban community,” especially focusing on the problems Cuban society faces as it moves toward the future.
David Horta, curator of the exhibition, says that one of its central aim is to encourage dialogue and promote cultural exchange through the sharing of knowledge of important Cuban artists and their work.
“The artists in this exhibit have created vehicles for understanding the complexity of contemporary life and art in Cuba,” said Horta. “And the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery is an ideal setting for the kind of free and open discussions this exhibition is designed to stimulate.”
Artist Jack King, professor of art at the University of Tampa and co-curator of the exhibition, said that it “features some of Cuba’s most noted and respected artists, and captures the diversity and complexity of contemporary Cuban art.”
The gallery is located on the University campus and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, at no cost for admission.
