Half Joking, But Serious / Miguel Iturria Savón

On Friday, October 22, at 6:00 PM, Gorki Águila, leader of the rock band Porno para Ricardo, hosted in his apartment the opening of the Paja Recold studio, and the collective exposition, We Put The Wall and What, which can be enjoyed by those interested until the end of November, at Avenida 35, number 4204, corner of 42 in Playa Municipality, Havana.

Paja Recold occupies two rooms of Gorki Águila’s apartment, which he has converted into a center for music and exhibitions, where the members of Porno para Ricardo can practice their songs, record their own discs and offer discussions about art and literature despite the government’s prohibitions and the political police, which insist that the record market, concert venues, radio and television are all in the hands of the Cuban State.

Half jokingly, but serious. with the same youthful freshness of the challenging and charming songs by Gorki, Ciro Díaz, Hebert Domínguez and Renay Cairus, the pictures include posters, graffiti, drawings, photography, mounted texts and pictorial creations from Noel Morera, Arturo Cuenca, Luis Trápaga, Ruben Cruces, Ricardo Orta and others who address social and erotic themes, among these the photography of Hebert Domínguez, “Column, slander” by Fernando Ruiz, and the drawing “My dolls” Claudia Cadelo.

Calling attention to some figures and allegories is “Crisificcion,” by L. Trápaga, “Uncorking” by R. Orta, “Drunks,” by Heriberto Manero and the offerings of Cuenca, Morera and Claudio Fuentes, well-known in the island’s visual arts and photography.

Although the exhibition is amusing and defiant in tone, it brings the style of the boys of Porno para Ricardo, whose power to draw in an audience is proven by the thousands of fans who play their albums: “Rock for the meaty masses,” “I’m porno, I’m popular,” “I don’t like politics but it likes me,” and “Faded red album.”

The collages, paintings, drawings and photographs on display at the home of Gorki Aguila until November have no commercial or competitive intention; they reflect the interaction of intellectuals who seek spaces for freedom outside of the censorship and institutional norms.

Those wishing more information on Paja Recold and its musical and cultural offerings, should contact Gorki at the address above, or go to the blogs of Ciro Díaz y Claudia Cadelo on the Voces Cubanas platform.

November 2, 2010