Observance: As I See You, You See Me
The exhibition featured several large scale (self-)portraits of the artist by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons selected from several series spanning the past seven years. Born in Cuba, but exiled in the US for decades, Campos-Pons uses metaphor, memory, and symbolism to address issues such as home, immigration and identity. At a time when the political climate regarding Cuba is rapidly changing and unstable, Campos-Pons’ evocatively tells the stories of her own life, as well as, the collective experience of her fellow Cubans and in doing so addresses the complex ways that history affects the present moment. It is not always clear what is happening in the images, but the elements of entrapment, confusion, and obscurity are present in all four selected works. This state of uncertainty and ambiguity is passed onto the viewer who is asked to wonder what the images are about, what they mean, and/ or use their imagination and meet the artist half way. Campos-Pons’ images powerfully visualize tragedy and human suffering, but also survival and do so through visual poetry.