José Toirac and Meira Marrero
(Cuba)
Location:
Cuba is an island located
in the Caribbean.
It is just 90 miles from
Key West, Florida.
Cuba: A Brief History
• Spanish Colonization
(1511-1898)
• Slave trade
– Colonial economy
depended on slave
labor
• José Martí
– Poet & Journalist
– Considered one of
the greatest Cuban
heroes
Cuba: A Brief History
• Cuban War of Independence (1868-1898)
[called the Spanish American War in the U.S.]
• Platt Amendment (1901)
• Gerardo Machado (President of Cuba: 1925-1933)
• 1933-1952: various leaders
• Fulgencio Batista
(President of Cuba: 1952-1959)
During all of these presidencies,
the U.S. remained watchful
and involved.
January 1, 1959
A new socialist order
Cuba’s relationship with the Soviet Union
• As more of Cuba’s property and
industries became governmentowned, the U.S. instituted a trade
embargo against Cuba in 1962.
• Castro asked for help from USSR,
and they forged a deal – the
temporary purchase of Cuban
sugar in exchange for Soviet fuel.
• Soon, Cuba’s economy was closely
entwined with the USSR’s
• After the fall of the USSR and the
collapse of its economy, Cuba
entered the Special Period in
Times of Peace
Fidel Castro
and
Nikita Khrushchev
Cuba’s Economy
• Low-cost housing, transportation,
and healthcare are provided
• Cubans also receive free education
and food subsidies
• Many of the services, however, are considered to
be inadequate or second-rate
Political Repression in Cuba
• The Cuban Communist Party (PCC) is
the only recognized party in the
country
• Other parties are not allowed to
campaign, engage in public speech,
or conduct any activities that could
be considered counter-revolutionary
• Although there are elections, they
are tightly controlled by the
government
• Counter-revolutionary
movements are not
tolerated
• The press is censored
and governmentcontrolled
• Independent labor
unions are illegal
• Access to the Internet is
tightly controlled
Reading
BERLIN – MOSCOW – HAVANA
José Toirac
b. 1966 (Guantánamo, Cuba)
painter and installation artist
Meira Marrero
b. 1969 (Havana, Cuba)
artist, art critic, historian, and curator
Obsession, 1996
Opium, 1996
Tiempos Nuevos series (1996)
Cuba 1869-2006 (2006)
Untitled works from the Alma Pater series (2011)
José Martí with his son José Francisco Martí
Fidel Castro with his son of the same name,
known as Fidelito
Juan Miguel González with his son Elián González
Ave Maria (2010)
Video: Toirac and Marrero
Residency at the Cleveland Institute of Art:
Cuba Project (2011-12)