Navigating the Waves

A vital exploration of postrevolution Cuban photography, tracing the evolution of artists' perspectives and strategies while offering rare insights for US audiences. This book presents an exciting look at the extraordinary Madeleine P. Plonsker Collection of postrevolution Cuban photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Emphasizing the years since 1990, it aims to shed light on the Cuban people and their artistic achievements featuring photographs by forty-seven photographers. These images trace the evolution of photographic expression in recent decades, from celebration of the Cuban Revolution to social and political critique, particularly after the collapse of the Soviet Union prompted perilous economic conditions in the 1990s. By examining individual identity, the body and spirit, Afro-Cuban heritage, and the margins of society, this catalogue celebrates the Cuban photographers who created powerful personal expressions while navigating the changing prescriptions and proscriptions of official cultural policy. As a result, it offers new scholarship on the evolution of Cuban photography while fostering a greater understanding of Cuba and its culture.