On the Horizon: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection

On the Horizon: Contemporary Cuban Art from the Jorge M. Pérez Collection, an exhibition of over 170 works of art, spanning painting, drawing, photography, mixed-media and sculpture. The exhibition is presented in three parts over the course of a year, and features a rich panorama of recent work produced by artists living both in Cuba and abroad. On the Horizon celebrates the recent generous gift of Cuban artworks donated to the museum by Jorge M. Pérez in December 2016, and includes a significant number of recent acquisitions purchased during the last year with funds provided as part of the donation. On the Horizon is presented in three distinct yet interconnected "chapters", with a new chapter opening every three months. The exhibition is organized around the metaphor of the horizon line—a motif that appears in many of the works on view—and brings together a strong view of artistic practices in Cuba from the last three decades as well as work by young, lesser-known artists working on the island and across the globe. Describing the chosen thematic approach to the presentation, Chief Curator Tobias Ostrander explains: "Structuring this exhibition around the poetic and open symbol of the horizon line allows us to focus on the diverse and often subtle visual languages of the artists included in this extensive collection; as they each look to address their personal, aesthetic and socio-political concerns." Chapter 1: Internal Landscapes opens June 8, 2017 and focuses on the horizon as it relates to the body, as the horizon evokes both a vast, physical space and an internal, psychological one. Artists represented in this Chapter include Antonia Wright, José Bedia, Juan Carlos Alom, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Hernan Bas, Tania Bruguera, Rubén Torres Llorca, and Sandra Ramos, among others. These artists create expansive visual spaces that engage the body of the viewer as well as works that represent the human figure as a symbol of mystery, longing and the unknown. Chapter 2: Abstracting History opens fall 2017 and takes a closer look at abstract geometries—including linear horizon lines—as they relate to both personal and historical narratives. The works selected explore spiritual as well as political histories, and examine both past and contemporary realities within Cuba and its diaspora. Artists in Chapter 2 include Alexandre Arrechea, Waldo Balart, Manuel Piña, Reyner Leyva Novo, Zilia Sánchez and Eduardo Ponjuán. Opening in early 2018, On the Horizon concludes with Chapter 3: Domestic Anxieties, a presentation of works focusing on the everyday insecurities and personal stresses of the individual. Artists included explore both domestic and public architecture as designated emotional spaces, as well as how language and texts are used to create spaces of aspiration, haven and doubt. In Glexis Novoa's Revolico (2014), the Miami-based artist mixes words like "Guggenheim" "Phillips", and "Revolico" as a means of co-opting familiar language to comment on the contradictory sociocultural and economic experiences for those living between Cuba and America. Angel Delgado's Dream reflections (2014) depicts a man trying to push open a larger than life lock. Works by Havana-based collective Los Carpinteros are also included in Chapter 3.
Many of the works on view throughout On the Horizon have never been seen before in a museum setting, while others have appeared in important previous exhibitions at MAM and PAMM or other significant venues such as the Havana Biennial and Venice Biennale, among others.