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There is a strong culture and educational system for art in Cuba, and the artists have a lot to say from their strange, semi-isolated viewpoint, living in a society imbued with more than its share of ironies and even surrealism.
–Stephen Humphreys


By Mary Ellen Stancill
In 1989 Stephen Humphreys first went to Cuba on official government business. Since then he has had a rare opportunity: he’s returned many times—visiting artists in their studios, establishing great friendships and amassing a large collection of Cuban art. An artist himself, Humphreys also photographs the people and places of this mostly inaccessible Caribbean island. This month, he brings pieces from his personal collection to the Vulcan Materials Gallery at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, offering Birmingham residents a peek into the art and culture of Cuba.

The show is titled “Antes que nada” which translates “Before Anything Else” or “Before there was nothing.” Says Humphreys, “The exhibition plays on this tension in meaning and the fact that, as far as official United States policy is concerned, this work, these artists and their country do not exist.” The 12 artists in the show include both established artists such as Glenda Leon, Isolina Limonta and Jose Bedia as well as relative newcomers, reflecting a diversity of subject matter, media and styles. “There is art that is political and apolitical,” Humphreys says. “There are styles influenced more by European traditions, and others more by Afrocentric and Santeria traditions. It is a pretty comprehensive overview of what Americans are missing, being cut off from Cuba.”

But visitors to the exhibit might be surprised to find similarities between the work of Cuban artists and those of the U.S. South. Cumbee Tyndall, director of the Vulcan Materials Gallery at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, says, “I have felt often that Caribbean work may be a source for us as a means to open dialogue in that it is not the same old images we know of—from the Bull Connor era, etc.—but there are certainly similar issues. My idea was that perhaps people would be more willing to confront these issues from a less similar, less personal conduit.” She sought Humphreys and his Cuban collection to exhibit at ASFA, and he gladly accepted the opportunity, dedicating the show to his grandmother, Mrs. Edwin A. “Bill” Rose, who was instrumental in founding the ASFA. Tyndall says, “We are no longer under the dogma of a Western art historical tradition. We are living in a global world and to allow the students and our community to experience this is a main objective.”

The exhibition runs Sept. 19 to Dec.19 at the Vulcan Materials Gallery at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, 1800 8th Ave. N. Please call 252-9241 or visit asfa.k12.al.us for more information.
January Birmingham, Alabama

  

 
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