Cuba

Roberto Diago’s work constitutes a perpetual reminder that freedom is not given; it is conquered. It is not a passive state, but a continuous practice.

Jorge Fernández, director of the National Museum of Fine Arts of Cuba, upon encountering the installation representing Cuba at the Biennale Arte 2026, wrote: “Hombres libres / Free Men distinguishes those who suffered segregation, paying homage to the Maroons who chose death over enslavement, and revering those who risked their lives for an unmediated sovereignty. The work carries the malaise of our wounds, returning to that mixture of tenderness and agony observed in Wifredo Lam’s Huracán. In both lie the anathemas of an Island living in a constant storm since birth. These creators open themselves to a sea of references, from the sword of Ogun to the hope of Elegua.

Through this installation, Diago speaks of the solidarity that persists among the country’s inhabitants despite present deprivations. Amidst vicissitudes, people help one another, exchanging clothes and shoes; many children are born already having a potential heir for their belongings. Each component of Hombres libres is inscribed on the skin of today’s Cuba. Its elements speak the nation’s resilience […].”