The viewer peers curiously into the gallery of the Provincial Committee of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) in Las Tunas. A sensory journey awaits inside. Dots, lines, colors, and shapes that blend to convey a variety of messages. This is El Viaje del Pasado, an exhibition with which Liusan Cabrera celebrates his 20 years of artistic life.
Las Tunas, Cuba - Abstract geometry, supremacism, and optical art support the theoretical-conceptual basis of the exhibition. The amount of 12 works (six paintings and an equal number of sculptures) make up the exhibition which, according to the author, pays homage to creators who since the beginning of the 20th century delved into the world of abstraction, names such as Vasili Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian, Joan Miró and Victor Vasarely. However, his tribute could not fail to pay tribute to Cuban Pedro de Oraá, an essential exponent of his stamp, especially in concrete art.
However, Liusan's sculptures are somewhat atypical, as he uses "sculpture-painting, a genre in which the artist relies on the three-dimensional to make the pictorial work". The fruits of his inspiration do not remain conventional, such as using only a few grids. The triangle, rhombus, square, circle, and rectangle are also represented to achieve greater visual enhancement.
As for meanings, "they allude to what is happening today in Cuba and the world. Although some people may think that a proposal of this kind does not talk about everyday life, it is not so; an objective reality can be reflected subjectively. And the titles complement the message to be conveyed," he said.
Likewise, it is noteworthy that one of the pieces has an interactive character, Los Preferiti. "Optical art requires a great knowledge of color because, by placing a complementary color next to another (e.g., red and green), an alteration occurs between them and the retina of the eye vibrates. Thus, there can be confusion between the background and the figure, because they are mixed; there is an unreal movement.
"That's why I wanted to make the chromatic circle that we artists use; a classroom exercise turned into a work. It has three primary colors and the secondary ones. I made it in the form of a roulette, you turn it around and everything. It is didactic.
Liusan is one of the territory's most acclaimed creators. For him, work is a sweet obsession, where discipline and self-improvement go hand in hand. On May 23, 2003, he graduated from the former Provincial Academy of Plastic Arts of Las Tunas and has already left his mark in several exhibitions as a member of Uneac. In El Viaje del Pasado, curated by Carlos Tamayo, Cabrera offers a personal model of contemporary abstract art. Keep traveling in time, painter, and we are grateful for that slap in the face of monotony.