The Palm Beach Photographic Centre recently revealed two upcoming exhibitions, both focused on Cuba and running simultaneously. They open Aug. 24 at the nonprofit museum located within City Center in downtown West Palm Beach.
The Conflux of Eternities: Historical Discourse in the Work of KadirLópez Nieves — Nieves was born in 1972 in the Cuban province of Las Tunas. His talent was recognized at the early age of 12, when he was chosen to receive a formal art education from grade school through graduate studies as part of Cuba’s education system. He graduated from the prestigious Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA) in Havana in 1995. Like many artists of his generation, Nieves came to artistic maturity at a time when the image and illusion of the Cuban Revolution’s triumph was greatly diminished. Much of his work is inspired by a meditation on time: in blurring the lines between past, present and future, he critiques the effects of progress, or lack thereof, on society in spiritual, economic and political arenas. For example, in his recent body of work “Signs,” Nieves repurposed porcelain-lacquered steel advertising signs from pre-revolutionary Cuba that celebrate the island as the economic and cultural capital of the Americas by fusing black and white photographs chronicling events of a bygone era. The irony achieved by juxtaposing image and text serves to provide a deeper, more complicated reading of the island’s history.
An American Presence in Cuba — This exhibit features works by a wide variety of photographers. This exhibition will provide a glimpse of pre-embargo Cuba with shots of numerous island visitors from celebrated artists and athletes to U.S. presidents, as well as movie stars and business tycoons.
There will be an opening night reception with Nieves on Aug. 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend this free event.
The Palm Beach Photographic Centre is in the City Center complex at 415 Clematis St. in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, call (561) 253-2600 or visit www.workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.
ABOVE: “Monopoly” by KadirLópez.
