The National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba will inaugurate on July 12, 2024 the personal exhibition Memories of persistence of the Spanish photographer José María Mellado, in its Universal Art Building. The exhibition, made up of 31 photographs that can be enjoyed until October 6 of this year, will be displayed in the circulation spaces at the access to the rooms of the permanent exhibition of the collection of Spanish painting on the 3rd level, and in the exhibition rooms of the collections of European painting of the Museum. in the 5th level. The exhibition, curated by Oscar J. Antuña, has been conceived as a dialogue of the artist’s works, first with the building dedicated to Universal Art, a monumental work of eclectic style from 1927, by the Asturian architect Manuel del Busto; and then, with specific works from the collections of Flemish, Dutch and German painting in the same building.

 

 

The images, some of them of impressive large format, show the ethical, aesthetic and technical concerns of an artist who has ventured into themes of reflection on the preservation of the environment and the impact of human civilization on natural landscapes and their transformation. Mellado often evokes the ability of nature to recover those spaces that were once useful to human beings and that, with the passage of time, have been abandoned to their fate due to the most diverse circumstances. The natural landscape is, of course, a source of inspiration and evocation. Through an inventory of spaces and landscapes of great beauty, treated with high aesthetic flight, the artist confronts us with the responsibility of conserving these values, for our well-being and the very reproduction of life. In these spaces, the human being usually only appears through his footprint and not directly as part of the composition. However, in recent times, although Mellado maintains this line of work, the direct presence of the human being has appeared in his photographs, often in the Cuban context, an area to which he has been connected for some years.” (1)

 

View of the National Museum of Fine Arts (Universal Art Building) from Central Park. Havana, Cuba. © José María Mellado

 

‘Memories of persistence’ is an exhibition that, through the poetry of its images and the symbolic charge they have, speaks to us in two times: the past and the present. For this exhibition, José María Mellado appropriates the space, making a selection of his photographs coexist and dialogue with works that narrate the evolution of the history of art through the collections treasured by the Universal Art Building. The museographic discourse is aimed at inviting us to tour the rooms of the Museum from a new experience, through the symbiosis of the author’s photographs and the narratives, stories and characters that dialogue with each other.

With this exhibition, Mellado returns to a stage with which he has maintained a deep bond, as well as a significant presence in other artistic events on the island. Among them are group exhibitions such as ‘Cuba. The most beautiful land’ at the Museum of Fine Arts itself, ‘The Silence and the Light’ at the Fototeca de Cuba; the project ‘Under the Same Sky’ as a guest artist at the 14th edition of the Havana Biennial, as well as talks, workshops and conferences that he has given in recent years, as part of that link he maintains with the artistic circuit.

This project has been possible thanks to the collaboration of Acción Cultural Española, the Embassy of Spain, the National Museum of Fine Arts, and other collaborators. The new exhibition promises to be one more milestone in Mellado’s fruitful relationship with Cuban art. Visitors will be able to enjoy a selection of his most recent works, where the impeccable technique and sensitivity that characterize his style are intertwined. We invite all art lovers to immerse themselves in this visual journey and to rediscover the evocative power of José María Mellado’s photography.

 

🗓 Date: July 12

⏰ Time: 4:00 PM
📍 Place: National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba. Universal Art Building

San Rafael between Zulueta and Monserrate, Havana, Cuba

More information about the project

 

(1) Fragment of the curatorial text by Oscar J. Antuña for the exhibition Memories of persistence