In the most interesting section of the show (the focus on Latin American artists), the Barbara Gross Gallery proposed, on tall white pedestals, a large number of Garaicoa's "sculptures" from the project Lo vijejo y lo Nuevo. They are small works made by cutting and placing vertically the edges of the facades of buildings depicted on ancient etchings. Behind the facades, Garaicoa models black volumes like shadows—abstract and linear shapes that project deeply into the facades themselves, but which only partially follow their contours. The flat line images are transformed into three-dimensional models, theaters suspended between a past, represented by nostalgic small facades, and the disturbing present made of jarring black shadows.
The convergence of Cuban artists in Spain is facilitated by cultural and linguistic proximity, the relative ease in obtaining immigration documents, and the welcoming nature and vital character of the cities.
