Vista del amanecer en el Trópico

Following the collapse of the socialist bloc and the subsequent crisis known as the “Special Period,” the nationalist narrative had to be reconsidered. In the search for solutions to the country’s economic difficulties, the tourism industry took on a new prominence, bringing with it the resurgence of celebration and popular music as part of Cuba’s image.

In the installation, a sunrise unfolds on the beach while the songs from Buena Vista Social Club (1997) play on a continuous loop. The album achieved enormous international success precisely during those years, when the opening to tourism also encouraged the circulation of an image of Cuba associated with music, celebration, and nostalgia. An image that could coexist with a country still marked by the consequences of the crisis.

The beach remains perpetually on the verge of sunrise; when the music ends, it begins again. Sun, beach, music, nostalgia. Cuba reduced to its most recognizable signs: joyful, tropical, nostalgic, frozen in time.