Cuban Faces of 2015: Tania Bruguera, Artist

Cuban Faces of 2015: Tania Bruguera, Artist / 14ymedio
Posted on January 3, 2016

14ymedio, Havana, 27 December 2015 – Announcing a performance in the
Plaza of the Revolution tossed the artist Tania Bruguera into the middle
of a hurricane of repression and solidarity. The reprise of Tatlin's
Whisper, this time under the title #YoTambienExijo (I Also Demand),
would have brought microphones to the emblematic locale for those who
wanted to express themselves during the day on 30 December 2014.

Cuban cultural authorities initially pressured Bruguera to change the
location of her artistic action, then rained down threats upon her and
finally arrested her. Her passport was confiscated and retained, and for
months she suffered several clashes with State Security, in addition to
a sequence of interrogations and preparations for an alleged judicial
process that never materialized.

Born in 1968, Bruguera defines herself as an artivista (art-activist),
and was excluded from the latest edition of the Havana Biennial. Despite
all of this she decided to honor Hannah Arendt with more than 100 hours
of consecutive reading of her book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, and
founded at her own home the International Institute of Artivismo, which
carries the name of the renowned German philosopher.

In July of 2015, the authorities returned Bruguera's passport, which
enabled her to participate in international events, exhibitions and
conferences. In New York City she was awarded a fellowship to the
renowned Yale University, and was chosen by People Magazine in Spanish
as one of the 50 most influential Latinos in the world.

Source: Cuban Faces of 2015: Tania Bruguera, Artist / 14ymedio |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-faces-of-2015-tania-bruguera-artist-14ymedio/