Equal exchange

Artists move past stilted US-Cuban relations

by Ana Cabrera

Luisa Marisy Martinez is just like many of the artists-in-residence at Providence's AS220 -- an individual whose voice changes in intensity as she begins to talk about her work.

But unlike any of the others who populate the city's creative fulcrum, Luisa is also an ambassador of sorts, a woman who arrived from her native Cuba just last week as the first representative of what the folks at AS220 hope will be an ongoing effort to drive a small wedge into the stilted relations that exist between her island home and the United States.

Marisy is a slender, soft-spoken woman with dark hair and eyes; her smile alone will help her open many doors while she goes about this ambassadorship. Though she does speak English, she is clearly most comfortable in her native Spanish, which to the practiced ear has the intonations and lilt of those born in Cuba. Her medium is video.

"It seems to me that this is an extraordinary thing," says Luisa about her presence in Providence. "I think that AS220 did well in being one of the first to realize that there should be an interchange with the artists in Cuba."

The program is called the Rhode Island Cuban Exchange (RICE). For three-month periods, Cuban artists will come here and, hopefully, Rhode Island artists will have the opportunity to live and work in Cuba. RICE is the brainchild of two Providence artists, Howard and Gay Ben Tré, and Umberto Crenca, AS220's artistic director. Anyone familiar with Crenca's ability to break new ground would not be surprised by this latest venture, which he says is apolitical about the expression of art. "And it's also about Cuba's long and rich cultural heritage," he says while surrounded by a melange of colorful works in progress at the alternative arts space. "We wanted to bring that home."

But even as Crenca insists that RICE isn't about politics, it's nearly impossible to discuss anything about Cuba without touching upon that topic. Since Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959, the country and its political scene has frequently made headlines: the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Mariel boatlift in the '80s and, in 1996, an incident in which Cuban fighters shot down two small airplanes piloted by the Miami group Brothers to the Rescue.

The thawing of US-Cuban relations is a thorny matter. For about 37 years, Washington has imposed an economic embargo and no formal ties with Havana, a position strongly supported by Miami's huge Cuban population. But there is increasing pressure in the US to change that stance. Some business groups argue that they are losing money to international concerns currently trading with Cuba. There is also an outcry from humanitarians, who say that Cubans are struggling and should be helped by people from other countries. Pope John Paul's historic visit is a prime example of that way of thinking.

Luisa Marisy arrived in Rhode Island, coincidentally, during a two-week period in which Cuba has once again made headlines.

Just last week, Illinois Governor George Ryan became the first US governor to visit Cuba since 1959, delivering more than $1 million in humanitarian aid. A Republican who is opposed of the US embargo, Ryan told his hosts he came to Cuba "to build bridges between people," the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Alarcon, president of the Cuban National Assembly, charged that the Clinton Administration was not carrying through on its decision to allow the sale of limited amounts of food and medicine to Cuba.

Finally, Castro's government recently denied that it was persecuting political opponents, despite claims of a government crackdown against heightened dissident activity ahead of an Ibero-American Summit next month in Havana.

In light of all this, it's hard to imagine that Luisa Marisy, 43, will be able to spend her three months in Rhode Island without talking about these matters.

It won't be for lack of trying on the part of her sponsors. For example, when my interview was scheduled, I was instructed not to ask Marisy about political subjects. Luisa herself is intelligent and savvy, with a husband and two daughters at home. It's unlikely that she will do anything to jeopardize them or her own position.

Luisa's visit was arranged by the Ben Trés through an organization called the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba. According to the foundation, it is an autonomous, non-governmental, not-for-profit group founded in 1995 for the protection and promotion of young artists. The group is an independent branch of the Ludwig Foundation, created by the late Peter Ludwig and Irene Mohnheim, two artists who met at the University of Mainz in Germany.

The Ludwigs, often called the "Emperors of Chocolate" due to their family's business enterprises, are world-class art collectors who sponsor the work of young artists. In 1990, Peter Ludwig first came into contact with Cuban art at the Cuba OK exhibition, held jointly by the Cuban center for the Development of Visual Arts and the Kunsthalle in Dusseldorf.

According to the foundation, the Ludwigs then made many trips to Cuba, and "their cooperation made possible the creation of an institution that sought to respond to the huge economic difficulties on the island, which contributed to the emigration of artists and a weakening of cultural institutions.".

Geoff Griffin, AS220's communications director, says there was no doubt from the outset that Luisa Marisy would be the first artist from Cuba to participate in the RICE venture. Griffin says that the foundation selected her because of her work experience, extensive travels and communication skills.

"People here have been very nice to me," says Marisy, waving her hand animatedly. "They fixed up my living quarters very well. They put in a mirror, because, as one of them said to me, `She's Cuban! So let's put in a mirror because Latin women love to look in the mirror.' "

She laughs diplomatically while she tells that story.

"They also put in a tropical plant, to remind me of home," adds Marisy, who is making her first trip to the United States. "I wrote to my husband that I have many more comforts in this room than I could dream of having at home. I have everything -- musical equipment, a TV set, lamps and a clock. Everything."

Artists worldwide often struggle to obtain materials to pursue their work, and Luisa is no exception. Crenca, who visited Cuba with the Ben Trés in March to facilitate Luisa's trip, says his journey was very profound. "It is always interesting to see how artists respond to situations where the materials are scarce, where they have to be versatile," he says. "We went to one play and they were using flashlights instead of the normal lights."

Marisy says her video work can best be described as experimental. There are cases in which she has simply attempted to push the limits of the video medium itself. In the narrative genre, she explores autobiographical themes such as family and relationships. Her documentaries feature sophisticated and stylized images of fellow artists.

"My studio is in my house," she says. "In Cuba, work in the video world is difficult, because there is no easy access to a lot of equipment for obvious economic reasons. We are a country where these things do not come easy; video equipment costs a lot of money and sometimes there is not enough money to finance projects like that."

Thanks in part to the Ludwig Foundation, where Marisy is a curator, things have become easier. Artists in Rhode Island helped to raise the money to finance Luisa's residency here.

Marisy uses video cameras in various formats. "I have used High 8 to work lately, and sometimes I've used VHS. Whenever I had the money to get hold of one I used a Betacam."

Luisa is a product of the Cuban educational system, which provides extensive training in the arts.

"The system of teaching art in Cuba after 1959 became very particular," she says. "In the first place it was gratuitous, like the method of teaching used at all levels, from the primary to the university levels, but it permitted all young people with talent to have access to the various art schools.

"The children commence their studies in music, dance, or ballet at the primary levels; by the time a student is roughly 12 years old, he or she can begin work at the secondary level. During this phase of their study, the child attends what we call an elemental school. These are not available in all the provinces, they are a kind of optional alternative school, where you can go and attend workshops in painting, sculpture or ceramics," Marisy says.

Visual artists such as Marisy begin their training at the US equivalent of junior high school, in ninth grade or during their14th year. Marisy says during this phase, the student is considered an artisan, where a specialty is determined.

"After they graduate from this level, because of the existing culture in Cuba, these students can live and work as professional artists, if they so choose," explains Marisy. "They can opt to make their living solely from their art, or else become professors or art curators. They can do a whole bunch of things."

Marisy says that by the time students are 17 or 18, the brightest and best take aptitude exams to determine if they will be allowed to enter a program of study at the Instituto Superior de Artes. There are several schools available: music, visual arts, or cinema and video, scenic arts and also dance.

"Those artists who enter ISA are formulating their work at the highest level, to go into it as a profession," Marisy says. "The students learn theory of communication and appreciation, not the technical things, they already have that under their belts at this point."

Marisy says that in the Cuban system, a degree from ISA is similar to anything that an engineering or architecture student would receive from a university.

Marisy was born in Santiago de Cuba, a small town on the eastern end of the island located close to the US Navy base at Guantanamo. She graduated from the University of Havana. Marisy and her artist husband, Normando Torres Farinas, live in the capital city. "Like all the other artists," she beams, "I wanted to work in Havana. That's where all the interesting people seem to go!"

As is the custom within the Cuban culture, Marisy retained her maiden name after she got married.

Marisy began working in 1990 for the Consejo Nacional de las Artes Plasticas (The National Council for Visual Arts), and had to figure out how to promote what was happening on that scene. Some friends and she decided television was the way to go.

"Little by little, without asking permission, we began going to people's houses every week to propose something related to the promotion of the visual arts," she recalls. "This way, without anyone noticing, we started filming and documenting the Cuban artists. At first it was done in the style of newscast reporting, but little by little we started to learn TV technology and all the different ways of presenting a story."

By 1993, Marisy's group had learned enough to do short documentaries, about 10 minutes long, which aired on local television. They have since edited some 25 pieces about local artists.

On Monday, November 8 at 7 p.m., Marisy will show some of these mini-documentaries to the public at the AS220. The program is free and people are welcome to attend.

"I am an avowed Havanera," Marisy says proudly. Her videos depict scenes of that city: the seashore, the section known as Old Havana, and the Malecon, a picturesque walkway by the sea which anyone who has ever been to Havana would instantaneously recognize. Marisy wants Rhode Islanders to fall in love with her city as she has, to see it as she does, and to showcase the work of the island's artistic community.

Gay Ben Tré says this is the exact goal of the RICE program. She describes RICE as a "loosely formed" group with no political agenda. She sees no irony in the fact that it was founded in a state which, though it has a growing Hispanic population, has relatively few Cuban nationals in residency. "That's exactly why we thought it would fly here," she says.

Miami's Cuban population has been critical of visits by Cuban national artists or performers to the United States. There was stormy opposition to the Papal visit, and most recently a proposed concert by the musical group Los Van Van created a minor uproar in some circles.

"I don't know about the Cubans in Miami," said Marisy, who stiffened slightly when asked the question. "I don't know the city. I did hear about what happened with Los Van Van, which is a top flight orchestra. There have been others who have tried to present their work in Miami but could not do it."

Luisa Marisy Martinez hopes to produce an original video while in Rhode Island. "I am interested in the theme of nostalgia," she says, "and I will be observing some of the people here, in light of that idea. I want to use video to convey nostalgia, not so much in words, but with images."

Marisy says she probably won't delve into this state's own thorny political scene while she is in residence here. "We are not interested in politics," says the artist. "We are interested in a cultural exchange."

Ana Cabrera can be reached at IndianaMC@yahoo.com.