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Photography
In Situ
Technique
35 mm Photography
Date
08/12/2002
In Situ is a series of 35-millimeter photographs. Generally associated with Castro's propaganda in a situation in which it contradicts or ridicules the eternal campaign of triumphalism of the Cuban dictatorship
In many cases the title is the address and date the photograph was taken.
Nothing Personal
"The lie that allows us to understand the truth."
P Picasso
Nothing Personal is my ode to satire, where art, ethics, and economics coexist on paper and in the form of
collage.
I appropriate the American advertising culture of slogans, iconic phrases, and a decisive symbol as a representation
of its economy to narrate an event.
My project involves constructing words from cut-out letters of dollars, scanning this collage at high resolution,
and printing them at ten times or more their original size. The series "Nothing Personal" is a project that offers
a critical reflection on the influence and symbolism of money in contemporary society. I appropriate the communication
codes of the environment and the economic and cultural weight of the American dollars to make a
series of reflections about current society with slogans and famous phrases constructed with money.
The title, which comes from tales of American mafia and crime, suggests the validation of any action that has
a profitable end. Without embellishments, with a minimalist and raw aesthetic, the amplified fragments display
a crude graphic, the imperfections of the bill's print, as well as the grime acquired from use and passing from
hand to hand.
While Quevedo had enlightened us about the power of money, the contribution or novelty of this series is to
transform an everyday object with nominal value into an effective and unique communicative tool for reflecting
on the influence of the economy on ethical values and its unique relationship with the values of art
.
We Will Be Like Che
Be Like Che
In 2008, I developed this series of works titled "Be Like Che," a critical and satirical exploration of the effects of political propaganda on the formation of Cuba's collective identity. The inspiration comes from an experience deeply rooted in my childhood: in Cuba, primary school children (ages 5 to 11) were required to recite a slogan every morning before entering class, one laden with ideological manipulation. Someone would lead the morning assembly and shout: "Pioneers for Communism!" to which we all had to respond in unison: "We will be like Che!" while giving a military salute to the flag.
This slogan, though it might seem harmless at first glance, carries an immense symbolic and psychological weight. It was under this rigid manipulation that we grew up. Surrounded by images of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and other leaders, we lived immersed in constant propaganda that, consciously or unconsciously, shaped our perception of the world. This message deeply penetrated our subconscious, sowing distrust toward those who thought differently and constructing a narrative of absolute loyalty to an ideal we could not fully understand.
However, upon carefully analyzing this phrase, a darker intent is revealed. Aspiring to "be like Che" implies the possibility of becoming an instrument of a system that can discard you once you are no longer useful. It also entails idealizing a figure who was not only a symbol of communism but also an executor of violent actions, such as the summary executions of numerous Cubans without fair trials. Che became "the Coca-Cola of communism," an ideological marketing product adopted by movements and individuals worldwide, often without fully understanding his history.
"Imagine" 2008,
Digital photo.
Rubert Quintana
The Big Bang, 2024
Digital Photo
Rubert Quintana
My series seeks to question these ideas while simultaneously subverting them through humor. By using Che's image in seemingly innocent or childlike contexts, such as blowing a bubblegum balloon (known in Cuba as "chicle bomba"), I present an ironic and biting perspective. These works play with nostalgia and memory, confronting the viewer with the contradiction between propagandistic iconography and the more human and questionable realities of this figure.
The humor I employ is a combination of satire, sarcasm, and irony. This approach can be difficult to process for those with a deep emotional or cultural connection to the subject. However, my intention is to provoke reflection beyond emotions, inviting the viewer to detach themselves and analyze the message objectively.
Che Guevara, despite being idealized as a symbol of struggle and rebellion, was also a disposable product of his own system. He did not even live to see half of his expected lifespan, and his legacy is marked both by his achievements and his most controversial actions. This series does not aim to glorify or demonize but rather to present a critical and creative perspective on a figure who continues to generate intense debates today.
Through "Be Like Che," I invite reflection on how systems of power use propaganda to shape generations and perpetuate ideologies. By depicting Che in situations that evoke childhood and innocence, I question how these narratives infiltrate the minds of the most vulnerable, leaving lasting imprints throughout their lives.
"knock knock" 2008,
Digital photo.
Rubert Quintana
Digital Art & Photos
The photographic manipulation and the design complement each other to scrutinize the Cuban reality from the recontextualization. The feeling of having lived through a prolonged nightmare and not being able to break free from that environment that is still latent for millions of people is illogical to imagine at this date. Political symbology, geographical abstraction, irony, and anthropological damage are the ingredients or the sentence of living forever in a dark moment of past life.
REFLECTIONS
Sometimes someone greets you friendly, points to you, offers you, flatters you, flirts with you, and eventually you discover that they are addressing the person behind you... Sometimes... life makes us an accomplice, a participant, and sometimes the same time apart from the same social event.
"Reflections" is the graduation thesis from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). It is a video projection of photographs created in February 2005 and was intended to be exhibited as a graduation thesis in a impoverished neighborhood (Romerillo) adjacent to the Melia Havana Hotel, located in the Playa municipality of Havana, Cuba.
The project consists of a selection of photographic frames depicting hotels and commercial centers catering to international tourists and foreigners on the island, as Cuban citizens were not allowed to enter these establishments. The international style had started to populate the Cuban landscape, while the austere and curious population lived on the fringes of these never-before-seen constructions, which began appearing after the collapse of the socialist bloc in 1989. Over 95% of the population had been isolated from the rest of the world. We only had access to national television channels that repeatedly portrayed the world as a godless place while suggesting that we were living in paradise. Mobile phones were not allowed, and internet access was limited and extremely expensive.
The Castro regime claimed that using our island for tourism was a "sacrifice" to alleviate the population's needs during the Special Period when there was a shortage of medicines and food. This project marked Cuba's first exposure to the world after 30 years of isolation.