The Espacio Aglutinador was founded in 1995 by artists Sandra Ceballos and Ezequiel Suarez, in their tiny apartment. It has come a long way and is now above all a curatorial space that responds to the ideas of those who organize events in it. In the first years of the gallery, the curating was done by Cuban writer and critic Orlando Hernandez who has also written various texts for catalogues, some of which have been for exhibitions that were presented at the space, by such artists as Manuel Vidal, Chago Armanda, Glexis Novoa, Alberto Casado, Bernardo Sarria, Maite Diaz, Pedro Alvarez, and Benito Ortiz, among others. El Espacio Aglutinador has also published texts by other Cuban critics such as Gerardo Mosquera, Juan Antonio Molina and Ivan de la Nuez, Osvaldo Sanchez, Lazara Castellanos and Eugenio Valdes, who has also collaborated and curated with Sandra Ceballos such exhibitions as "Matrix" of work by the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta. Every young artist in Cuba agrees that this gallery has changed Havana's cultural landscape by exhibiting the works of artists who were ignored by state organizations.
At present, Sandra Ceballos is the director and curator, and Rene Quintana is the curator and designer of El Espacio Aglutinador. Sandra Ceballos explains that their goal was to lessen the state's hold on culture.
»...it was precisely a mix of artists. We were against dividing artists by generations, we were against the dividing art by gender, we were against all censorship, we were against artists being marginalized, and so 'agglutinator' brought all this together, and worked during this time...«
The Laboratorio project is a series of residencies of one year. During that year the selected artists should carry out a project with particular characteristics, that is determined with the collaborating institution and through the scheme of PERRO residencies of Laboratorio Aglutinador. The first stage of this type of scheme (Experimento No. 1) has succesfully ended.
Espacio Aglutinador as a cultural space offers residencies in an alternative format for artists of limited economic means in Cuba. Espacio Aglutinador, with this program, keeps its experimental character. Sandra Ceballos heads the program together with Cristina Padura (Production), Joel Rodriguez-Peña (Design of catalogue), and the advisors Magali Espinosa and Lazaro Saavedra.
Based on the experience of Experimento No. 1 and the PERRO (in English, “experimental proposal for an organized and quick response), the experimento no. 2 has the following objectives:
1) To select a group of artists with specific characteristics, that first of all have low income and have a proven talent. Within this group a number of self-taught artists from different age groups and artistic styles will be sharing the program with students from the fourth year of arts at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). (art academy). By placing together both groups the intention is to first, to confront the unfair notion that self-taught artists are of inferior quality. Thanks to artists such as Beuys, the group FLUXUS, Ives Klen and others we know that art is not only about one picture, one painting or a sculpture. New art forms will be explored.
2) To provide the economic opportunity for the exchange of these groups during the year.
3) To develop documentation, photos and videos, for a catalogue in which the process of exchange and the results are explained,
4) To set up an exhibition with the productions,
5) and to promote the support of both groups of artists.
1- Hilda Vidal, painter, self-taught
2- Alejandro Che, body art and tatoes
3- Héctor González, painter, self-taught
4- Osmany Torres, designer
5- Amalia Iduate, photography, self-taught
6- Hamlet Lavastida, performances and video, ISA student
7- Javier Castro, video, ISA student
8- Greter Rasúa, performance, video and installation, ISA student
Sandra Ceballos, René Esteban Quintana
cartel para la muestra: Eduardo Marín
1- MARINA VARGAS 2- ANTHONY LESTER 3-JAVIER CASTRO 4- SERVANDO CABRERA 5- GRETHELL RASÚA 6- LUÍS TRÁPAGA 7- JUAN CARLOS FREIJOSO 8-MAGALY ESPINOSA 9-TOMÁS ESSON 10- SUSET SÁNCHEZ 11-SAMUEL RIERA 12- LUÍS CASALÍ 12- ORLANDO SILVERA 13-ROCÍO GARCÍA 14-CARLOS SARRÍA 15-LEANDRO BONACHEA 16-IROLÁN MAROSELLI 17-FÉLIX RONDA 18-RUBÉN CRUCES 19-ROBERTO JIMÉNEZ 20-EDUARDO APARICIO 21-CRISTINA PADURA 22-LUÍS GÁRCIGA 23-SANDRA CEBALLOS 24-EDUARDO MARÍN 25-GISELLE VICTORIA 26-HUGO AZCUY 27-RAFAEL ZARZA 28-AMALIA IDUATE 29-RICARDO ORTIZ 30-JUAN CARLOS FREIJOSO 31-CHAGO ARMADA 32-ALBERTO FAMADAS 33-EVELIO CARNERO 34-HAMLET LAVASTIDA 35-MANUEL PARDO 36-RUBÉN DE LA NUEZ 37-CLAUDIO FUENTES 38-RENÉ PEÑA 39-NELSON JALIL 40-JORGE LUÍS MARRERO 41-OMAR PASCUAL 42-WILLIAM LUACES 43-ELIO RODRÍGUEZ 44-FRAN ERNESTO FERNÁNDEZ 45-JAVIER ERNESTO FERNÁNDEZ 46-LUPE ÁLVAREZ
With the aim of encouraging worldwide cultural debate, the Prince Claus Fund organises and supports events around the world to facilitate intercultural exchange. These events include conferences, lectures, meetings and exhibitions.
The results of these exchange events are presented to a wider, international audience in the form of articles, books and websites.
These exchange events provide a creative environment in which new approaches can be presented and new contributors can become engaged in the debate. The events also serve as a guide to the Prince Claus Fund in its endeavours in the field of culture and development.
