Drapetomanía: Grupo Antillano and the Art of Afro-Cuba in Havana, New York and San Francisco

Apr 7, 2014
10:07 PM

March 7 – July 18, 2014

The 8th Floor 17 W 17th St NYC, NY 10011

Info: 646-839-5908

Open Hours: Tuesday – Thursday 11-6 and Friday 10-5

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Curated by Alejandro de la Fuente, Robert Woods Bliss Professor of Latin American History and Economics and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, and originally presented at the Centro de Artes Plásticos in Santiago de Cuba, Drapetomanía had been described as “one of the best visual arts exhibits of the last few years.” Recently arrived in New York from a showing in Havana, this assemblage of compelling imagery celebrates a group of artists working from the late 1970s and 1980s.

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It will continue on to the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco and other places.

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Grupo Antillano, an otherwise forgotten art movement that championed African esthetics in the visual arts of Cuba, lives life anew in this gathering of pieces and voices that pay tribute to the importance of African taste and energy in popular Cuban art. It features a variety of some of Cuba’s most influential visual arts masters of the last century, and from what we can tell is a must-see for anyone within reach of it.

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The 8th Floor is a private exhibition space established to promote cultural and philanthropic initiatives. Opened in 2010, recent shows have primarily focused on the presentation of contemporary Cuban art under the direction of curator Perera Weingeist, with partners in Cuba. The 8th Floor is free and open to the public. School groups are encouraged; viewing hours are Tuesday through Thursday, from 11-6pm and Friday, 10-5pm.

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