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called a ‘new breed of biennials’, challenging the centralizing was present. Interesting concepts were extracted from this
paradigm of Venice. In other words, it started the era of the theoretical part run by Mosquera, such as “cimarronagem”,
biennial international all over the world.” which is explained by the curator as something derived from
The first statement was made by Llilian Llanes, organiser, along René Depestre’s research. “The cimarrons were African slaves
with then Minister of Culture Armando Hart, of the second who fled to live in the mountain. They were very important
edition of the Bienal de La Habana. The second reflection is in Brazil, Jamaica and, mainly, in Suriname, where they
from Gerardo Mosquera, who took care of the theoretical retain until today some companies organized in the jungle.
events of this experience. It is this second statement that I believe that it was Depestre who used the word ‘cultural
identifies the Biennial of 1986 as a pioneer in covering artists cimarronagem’ to refer to actions of cultural defiance facing
from countries not previously considered in the international the dominant power.” Foreign intellectuals were invited for
art circuit, which possibly justifies its inclusion in this series the meetings, such as Dore Ashton, who not only brought
of ARTE!Brasileiros as the inaugural exhibition of a selection her knowledge to the discussion but also went to the dance
of historical exhibitions. floor. “She was accompanied by her husband, an Israeli writer,
The second edition of the Bienal de la Habana was effectively and one night my wife and I took them to see the show of
inclusive with nations of Latin America and the Caribbean and Tropicana and dance.” The scholars are serious, yes, but they
also of Africa and Asia, with the presence of countries such can dance, especially if they are in Cuba. And she was not the
as Angola, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, only North American presence in Havana. Another success
Sudan and Zaire. “In the beginning there was criticism in Latin of this Biennial was the exhibition of Por Cima do Bloqueio
America regarding the opening of the event to those other (Above the Blockade), organized by artists from the United
regions, as they did ‘not possess contemporary art’. Given States that led, for the first time, their art to Cuba.
that ill prejudice, I thought I should say to those who thought In retrospect, one of the few “lower points” of this event
that way that they kept in relation to Africa and Asia the same was to keep granting awards to artists, which in this case
attitude that Europeans did about us,” said Llanes. We display were for Lani Maestro (Philippines), Antonio Ole (Angola),
during one month more than 2,400 works of 690 artists from Marta Palau (Mexico), Carlos Capelán (Uruguay) and José
57 countries (among others, Luis Camnitzer, Juan Downey, Bedia (Cuba). It was something that was corrected from the
Paz Errázuriz, Juan Francisco Elso, Helen Escobedo, Graciela third edition on, according to Nelson Herrera Isla, in charge
Iturbide, Cildo Meireles, Manuel Mendive Hoyos, Liliana Porter of mounting of the Biennial: “The focus was on the land of
and Cecilia Vicuña). We were granted ten awards. It was healthy confrontation, dialogue and ways to go along together,
the first big artistic event that spoke about the effects of and not on obtaining awards “.
globalization, three years before the exhibition Magiciens de
la Terre (France), eight years before Cocido y Crudo (Spain) 1 | DRAWINGS, PAINTINGS, PERFORMANCE, CATALOG COVER AND MUSICAL
and more than ten years before the Biennial of Johannesburg PRESENTATION (WITH CHICO BUARQUE AND PABLO MILANÉS) THAT MARKED THE
and dOCUMENTA of Okwui Enwezor. It advanced in themes 1986 EVENT IN HAVANA
that were later central in large exhibitions in not hegemonic
centres of production, as post colonialism. Curator Carlos 2 | VISITORS STROLL AROUND ONE OF THE GREAT INSTALLATIONS PRESENTED IN
Basualdo emphasizes the difference between the referential THE CUBAN EVENT
European biennial and its American version: “Venice was
originally designed based on a universal ideology clearly 1 “La institución inestable”, in What Makes a Great Exhibition? Paula

related to the European colonialism; Havana, in contrast, was Marincola ed. Philadelphia exhibitions initiative, 2011.
the scene of an ideological project that was diametrically 2 Biennial presentation text included in the event catalog.
opposed to that.” 3 Revista Atlántica, “Arte, Sociedad, y Bienal de la Habana”, Herrera, Nelson.
It’s by this binding character of experiments and works of art Atlantic Centre of Modern Art, 2007
from peripheral countries that this Biennial was considered
the “Biennial of the Third World.” But there was also an aspect COLLECTIONS PATRICIA PHELPS DE CISNEROS | PAGES 88 TO 90
that went further: the ideological Armando Hart wrote: “In 1981
guidance regarding East/West relations in world politics and MOMA RECEIVES 140 LATIN
the Reagan administration started, along with its doctrinal
capitalists cities create models of a universal art. Without AMERICAN WORKS FROM
its belligerence towards Cuba and Nicaragua. (…) The large
belittling the universal values that exist in some of these
productions - whose critic assimilation can’t be rejected - it THE CISNEROS COLLECTION
is correct to state that they marginalize the rich artistic
production of the countries of the Third World.” Hart was VENEZUELAN COLLECTOR ALSO SPONSORS THE ESTABLISHMENT
clear about the objective of the second Bienal de La Habana: OF A LATIN AMERICAN ART RESEARCH INSTITUTE
“Our purpose is confront them internationally without isolate
ourselves. Our problem is to stop this production of a universal BY FABIO CYPRIANO
culture that has been hegemonically implanted and created
without our participation.” OCTOBER 17 was a remarkable day for Latin American art at
For Llilian Llanes, someone who was maybe more detached the Museum of Modern Art in New York, MoMA. In the words of
from politics than the former Minister of Culture, the the director: “There is no historical precedent here to compare
ideological aspect wasn’t in the programme. But the idea of the donation of 102 works by Patricia Phelps Cisneros,” said
a decentralised event, composed of music concerts (such as Glenn Lowry to a packed auditorium.
the inaugural, with Chico Buarque, Mercedes Sosa and Pablo Of the approximately 150,000 works of the museum, Latin
Milanés), parallel exhibitions, meetings, conferences and America is represented by six thousand diversified works
workshops that happened in different locations in Havana, among Film and Video, Performance, Painting, Photography,

INGLES_205X275_New_Ed 37 2.indd 17 11/21/16 8:46 PM