Exhibition: el otro lado del alma

Obscure rituals, sacred objects and secret societies inhabited the exhibition el otro lado del alma: Syncretisms in Contemporary Cuban Photography, recently on display in the Main Gallery of the Zoellner Arts Center. The exhibition showcased the influence of Afro-Cuban spirituality in photography and video art and traced the development of photographic traditions within Cuba.

Translated, el otro lado del alma means “the other side of the soul.” In the exhibit, photography revealed the syncretisms of Santería, which originated from the blending of African spirituality, Spanish Catholicism and the beliefs of Cuba’s native inhabitants.

Featured artists included Marta María Pérez Bravo, Sandra Ramos, Humberto Mayol, Juan Carlos Alóm, Tania Bruguera, Raúl Cañibano and Rene Peña. The exhibit was curated by Moritz Neumüller and produced in co-operation with the Fototeca de Cuba, Havana’s Museum of Photography.

To see images from the exhibit, go to www.luag.org and visit past exhibitions.