Cuban visual artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has extended an unprecedented invitation from his confinement at Guanajay prison. Despite being incarcerated, the founder of the San Isidro Movement (MSI) is calling on attendees of the 2024 Havana Biennial to engage in an art intervention he calls "Fe de vida," a performance that turns his prison space into a gathering point.
This unique initiative, shared on social media and through a thread on X, aims to provide visitors an opportunity to converse with Otero Alcántara and witness the work he has created under the stringent restrictions imposed by the Cuban regime. In a phone call, Otero Alcántara expressed that the goal is for "artists, curators, theorists, collectors, and art enthusiasts" to experience his project in the extraordinary setting of a Cuban prison.
Art Amidst Oppression
Otero Alcántara remarked, "The Biennial was conceived as an opportunity for the marginalized and displaced, and since attending the event is not an option for me, why not bring a piece of the Biennial to the artist?" This was conveyed in a message released by the independent media outlet Diario de Cuba. Those interested in this groundbreaking encounter are required to coordinate with Cuba's Ministry of the Interior (MININT) using phone numbers provided by Otero Alcántara himself.
The artist's invitation unfolds amidst a backdrop of censorship and repression, hallmarks of the Havana Biennial organized by the Cuban Ministry of Culture. Scheduled from November 15, 2024, to February 28, 2025, this edition has attracted severe criticism from the independent art community.
A Stand Against Hypocrisy
In a statement published in the magazine Letras Libres, artists and curators like Coco Fusco, Hamlet Lavastida, and Solveig Font condemned the event as a "facade of creative autonomy," highlighting the Cuban government's cynicism in attempting to divert international focus from domestic oppression. Fusco emphasized that "Fe de vida" was Otero's own creation, a protest against the government's hypocrisy in presenting a cultural event amidst ongoing repression.
Throughout his imprisonment, Otero Alcántara has been barred from distributing drawings and other artworks made in detention. However, he has circumvented these restrictions through this innovative artistic intervention. According to Fusco, this effort showcases the artist's resilience against attempts to silence him.
A Symbol of Resistance
Otero Alcántara was detained in July 2021 while trying to join the July 11th protests. Since then, he has been sentenced to five years on charges of "public disorder" and "contempt," a ruling that human rights organizations like Amnesty International deem arbitrary. His case is a prominent example of the repression faced by artists and dissidents in Cuba, where freedom of expression remains severely restricted.
Otero's concluding message to those interested in "Fe de vida" is a call to witness his work and share in his reality, which he describes as "deeply connected" to art, despite the barriers imposed by the regime.