Continuing through March 28, 2013
Cuban Esterio Segura’s life is immersed in the illogical, where nothing makes sense and one is expected to accept truth that is a lie. The subtitle of the exhibition: "How to Love a Whale and be a Cat" tells it all. Continuously exposed to the propaganda of the Castro regime, the artist has injected his art with the Cuban paradox. Segura is able to deploy a broad range of conceptual art that involves some part of Cuban history so as to highlight the restrictions of freedom that Cubans must put up with. In the fittingly titled "Cage-Speaker" a megaphone resides in a birdcage that represents the government's grip over free expression. The original speakers from an official government sound system used in Havana by Castro to give one of his many hours long speeches, we are informed, were stolen. The rickety cage personifies the political situation: It's falling apart, like the regime.
"48 Glorious Entries of the Victorious Hero into Havana" is a series of 48 erotic images of Castro having sex with a woman, an embodiment of Cuba herself. Each piece is different and demonstrates the versatility of Segura and his ability to create many situations involving love, violence, despair, and hope. These values permeate his art. "The Lilly and the Hummingbird" is a free-standing metal sculpture that further embodies this brew of freedom and desperation. The lilly is Cuba, the female; such strength has she invested in the attempt to lure the hummingbird - the one bird that cannot be caged.
Published courtesy of ArtSceneCal ©2012