Fall Preview: Art x Cuba, Abstracting History, Adiós Utopia & More

We’re pleased to watch the 70+ exhibitions in “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” rolling out across Southern California, bringing Cuban art and artists with them. (See our guide to “PST: LA/LA” here.) But ambitious, wide-ranging shows of Cuban art are on the calendar in other parts of the world, too.

Here, organized by date, is our guide on where to find Cuban art and artists in museums this fall—and one media art weekend.

JUST OPENED

The Drawings of Wifredo Lam: 1940–55

Lehigh University Art Galleries, Lehigh, PA

From the collection of Lam’s grandnephew Juan Castillo Vázquez, a selection of 21 works that have rarely been shown publicly. Vázquez will present a lecture and reading of Lam’s original poetry on September 21, followed by a lecture by Lam scholar Lowery Stokes Sims on November 9.

Through December 10.

Between the Real and the Imagined: Abstract Art from CINTAS Fellows

Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL

Exploring the abstract impulse—even among artists who don’t necessarily set out to create ‘abstract’ works—the show features work by 27 visual arts fellows of the CINTAS Foundation. Curated by Elizabeth Cerejido; read her Cuban Art News preview of the show here.

Through October 21.

SEPTEMBER

September 7: Art x Cuba – Contemporary Perspectives since 1989

Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany

Co-curated by Tonel (Antonio Eligio), this exhibition pairs works from the collection of Peter and Irene Ludwig with works by younger Cuban artists, including Celia & Yunior, Yoan Capote, and Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo. Opening reception at 7 p.m.

Through February 18.

And September 9: Kuba Xtra

In conjunction with Art x Cuba, the Ludwig Forum will present an afternoon and evening of music, dance, and performance art. Participants include Susana Pilar Delahante Matienzo, Ernán López-Nussa, and Mayquel González González. Performances begin at 3 p.m.

September 7: No Black / No White (No And)

CIFO Art Space, Miami

Showcasing the work of CIFO’s 2017 Grants and Commissions Program Award recipients, the exhibition features a cross-section of Latin American and Caribbean artists—including Celia & Yunior, who were among the winners in the Emerging Artist category. The opening reception runs 6–9 p.m.; RSVP required.

Through November 5.

September 7: Goaltending

Centro Cultural Español, Miami

Featuring artists from Spain, the US, and Cuba, this international group show pits two colliding concepts against each other—the effects of a curatorial sensibility on how artworks are conceived, versus the particularity of individual works. The opening reception begins at 7 p.m.

Through October 31.

September 8–10: Art+Hack+Data Media Art Weekend

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

Billed as a “social artistry event,” this conference brings together an international roster of new media creators and tech enthusiasts—among them Rodolfo Peraza, the project’s organizer.  Speakers include Cuba scholars Rachel Price and Paloma Duong, who is currently writing a book on new media in contemporary Cuba.

And September 11: Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami

After the Media Art Weekend, an exhibition of the work created during the conference will be shown at the Bakehouse Art Complex, one of the sponsoring organizations.

Through October 2.

September 21: Abstracting History.

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

In part II of On the Horizon: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, abstraction is the thread linking generationally and aesthetically diverse artists, from the shaped canvases of Zilia Sánchez to the conceptual black squares—representing the amount of ink used to write nine influential laws in Cuba—of Reynier Leyva Novo.

Through January 7.

September 23: Reflections of the Americas: New Acquisitions from the Collection of Univision

Frost Art Museum, FIU, Miami

The media company Univision Communications Inc. recently gave the Frost a major donation of 57 artworks from its collection, going on view next month in Reflections of the Americas. The new acquisitions include works by Wifredo Lam, Cundo Bermúdez, Humberto Calzda, and Rafael Soriano, among others.

Through January 3.

OCTOBER

October 6: 2017 CINTAS Finalist Exhibition

Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL

In addition to hosting Between the Real and the Imagined: Abstract Art from CINTAS Fellows, Coral Gables will also present this year’s exhibition of finalists in the CINTAS visual arts fellowship—and the official award ceremony announcing all category winners for the 2017 grant season.

Through October 27.

October 28: Rafael Soriano: The Artist as Mystic

Frost Art Museum, FIU, Miami

The long-awaited traveling exhibition—which started in Boston and is currently at the Long Beach Museum of Art—arrives in Miami in late October. Read our interview with the show’s curator here.

Through January 28.

NOVEMBER

November 11: Adiós Utopia: Dreams and Deceptions in Cuban Art Since 1950

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN

The ambitious, wide-ranging exhibition, which kicked off 2017 as a year of Cuban art internationally, now arrives at the Walker, an equally ambitious and wide-ranging art institution. Accompanying the show, two concerts by contemporary Cuban singer/composer Dayme Arocena, in November and January. Here’s our interview with René Francisco, one of the co-curators of the exhibition.

Through March 18.

November 19: HOME—So Different, So Appealing

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Fresh from its debut at LACMA as part of the “Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA” initiative, this show unites seven decades of Latin American, Caribbean, and US Latino/Chicano art under a simple and compelling theme: home. Offering a history of postwar and contemporary art from a distinctly Latin perspective, the show includes painting, sculpture, installation art, performance art, photography, film, and video. Look for work by Luis Cruz Azaceta, Félix González-Torres, and  Magic Carpet/Home, 2003/2017, by María Elena González.

Through January 21.