Alongside such artists as Carlos Cárdenas and Tomás Esson, Novoa emerged in late 1980s Cuba with critical-conceptual work that parodied institutional iconography and propaganda through cryptic, coded language. “That was a time of ironic intent with the art institution, where I took advantage of the conventions that were responsible for an artist’s prestige or not, as well as institutions, museums, and galleries,” Novoa reflected of his early “etapa práctica” series, to which the present work belongs. “It was a time when my whole generation was questioning the extreme political and social situations in the country, and I decided to express that in my work” (quoted in L. Hernández, “Glexis Novoa: A Havana Wake-Up,” Cuban Art News, 18 October 2016).
The present painting, a graphic parody of both Soviet agitprop and American Abstract Expressionism, was included in Novoa’s acclaimed installation at the Third Havana Biennial in 1989. “His painterly skills returned, this time to execute huge multi-panel installations in the fashion of Soviet socialist-realist pomposity,” wrote Luis Camnitzer of the development of Novoa’s “etapa práctica.” “Many of the panels bear unintelligible inscriptions written in a Cyrillic-looking alphabet created by himself, which with little effort can be decoded into PCC (Partido Comunista Cubano) and into ‘Patria o Muerte,’ the national Cuban slogan. The work is totally cynical, made to measure to satisfy the expectations of a perestroika-contaminated international market while making a devastating criticism of it. The ruse worked” (New Art of Cuba, Austin, 2003, p. 235).
Abby McEwen, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park