Beyond Ideology - Shifting Tides: Cuban Photography after the Revolution

Afterimage, July, 2001 by THOMAS McGOVERN

Shifting Tides: Cuban Photography after the Revolution

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Los Angeles, California

April 15-July 1, 2001

Grey Art Gallery, New York University

New York, New York

August 28-October 27, 2001

Museum of Contemporary Photography

Chicago, Illinois

November 18, 2001-February 10, 2002

Shifting Tides: Cuban Photography after the Revolution

edited by Tim B. Wride and Cristina Vives

London: Merrell Publishers, 2001

160 pp./$39.95 (hb)

"Shifting Tides: Cuban Photography after the Revolution" brings together the work of 16 photographers active during and since the Cuban revolution of 1959. The exhibition and accompanying book are the first to present Cuban photography within a social/historical framework and to bring together multiple generations of photographers whose work is connected by an intense, personal artistic vision more than overt political ideology. The photographers comprise four distinct groups--hard-core revolutionaries working during and immediately after the revolution; those of the "first generation" who worked to reclaim and explore the personality of post-revolutionary Cuba through the common man; the "second generation" who grew up under Fidel Castro's rule and began to break away from documentary-style photography toward a more international, eclectic style; and the most recent generation of contemporary photographers who have escaped the pressure to address political ideals and instead choose to investigate personal an d introspective issues. Curated by Tim B. Wride, Associate Curator of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the exhibition provides an insightful overview of the vibrant artistic tradition photography enjoys in Cuba. The beautiful catalog, designed by Tracey Shiffman, includes essays by Wride and Cuban scholar Cristina Vives as well as a poetic preface by filmmaker Wim Wenders.

As the author and curator, Wride provides the overarching vision for the projects and adds his personal experiences and perceptions of contemporary Cuba from a sympathetic American point of view. One of Wride's great strengths is his ability to both inform and interpret, to make the viewers feel that he is providing an accurate picture of Cuban photography while simultaneously directing our attention to the nuances of each artist's personal vision. Wenders's essay is perhaps the weakest part of the book: a poem of unabashed love for the Cuban people, full of romantic cliches and predictable left-wing political ideology. But he adds considerable celebrity appeal that cannot be ignored when museums are struggling to expand their audiences and cynicism aside, his contribution is informed by his 1999 film, Buena Vista Social Club, and is a lovely poem. In contrast, Vives gives us an in-depth and balanced picture of the Cuban social and political experience, particularly as it relates to photography and art. Vives 's essay provides an eyewitness account from the perspective of both scholar and participant, and as such is an invaluable contribution to the exhibition and book.

Ever since its inception, photography has had the unique role of capturing and then solidifying events and personalities in our collective memory. Dorothea Lange's 1936 photograph Migrant Mother symbolizes the Great Depression just as Nick Ut's 1972 photograph Terror of War (showing a naked Vietnamese girl screaming and running toward the camera) continues to epitomize the horror of the Vietnam War. For much of the world, and particularly for Cubans, the heroic photograph of Che Guevara, Guerrillero Heroico (Korda, 1960), symbolizes political revolution. This iconic photograph shows a stern but thoughtful Che in beret looking off into the distance, suggesting his vision for the future of Cuba and his own larger-than-life celebrity. The image of Che is slightly soft focused, furthering the notion that he was somehow more connected with the ideals rather than the actual fighting of the revolution. Considering the continued proliferation of posters and T-shirts with Che's likeness from this photograph, it is not hard to believe that this may be one of the most widely seen photographers ever. The aforementioned images, and others like them, remind us that long after the facts have been forgotten, it is the photograph and the visceral power it commands that remains.

Chronologically, the first group of photographers were the revolutionaries, the true believers in Castro's vision. Alberto Diaz Gutierrez (a.k.a. Korda) was a successful commercial and fashion photographer before the revolution. He, along with Raul Corrales and Osvaldo Salas, made the early photographs depicting the heroes and events of the struggle for both Cubans and the outside world. Their images remain deeply fused with the political urgency with which they were made and as such, are the benchmark by which subsequent Cuban photography was judged. There is only one photograph of Castro in the exhibition, a beautiful and idiosyncratic image by Salas. The photograph is a tightly cropped, close-up side view of Castro smoking a cigarette. Framed from just below the eye to just below the chin, the emphasis is on the man's hands and his curly beard. His fingernails are dirty, but his hand is elegant and each wrinkle and pore is noticeable; the curly hairs of his beard can be counted. The image exudes a feeling that he is the hardworking common man, rising to lead his people, but not forgetting his roots.