“In Search of Che - The Faces of Communism in Cuba” by Jerry Gabay - 3/2/17
“3 Orishas resting at the Callejon de Hammel after having danced in a Santeria ritual”
"All my life I’ve heard the same stereotypes regarding Cuba. In 2016, I decided to see for myself. I was in search of Che, one of the most familiar faces in the world; but I was not in search of the mythological figure. I was in search of a more nuanced truth regarding the Revolution and its impacts. I talked with many in their homes, on the street, in cafes, and while in their (old) cars.
I found that the elders, who remembered the Batista dictatorship well, spoke of severe repression, brutality, poverty, racism, and inequality in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and spoke highly of the achievements of the Castro government.
Those who could be considered their children, the “children of the Revolution,” born in the 1960s-70s, talked often about the education they had received, the medical care, the lack of crime. It was their children, born in the 1980s and later who appear most disaffected…perhaps because they are the most connected, via technology, to the outside world.
“Yemaya the Blue Orisha, Havana”
In short, I found a country of people who are welcoming, secure enough to speak their minds openly, and who have equality and the basics of life secure in a way that not all here have. It is that, the humanness of the Cuban people, which I hope these few prints can begin to display."
---Jerry Gabay
Fotoeffect Studio & Gallery is excited to present Jerry Gabay’s Cuban portraits. Please come join us for the opening reception this First Thursday on March 2nd, 6pm - 10pm. The show will run through March 26th and is viewable during regular gallery hours - Thursday through Sunday, 2pm - 6pm. Looking forward to a wonderful show!