Printed in Cuba

Cuba meets USA meets Switzerland. PRINTED IN CUBA is a collaborative art project initiated by Margarit Lehmann (Swiss) in cooperation with Aliosky Gracía (Cuba) and Lian Ng (USA). It is an experiment of artistic and socio-political dimensions: not Cuban art in America or Swiss art in Cuba, but joint work in a tri-national cooperation. The project brought together 19 artists from Cuba, USA and Switzerland to collaborate on a collection of unique prints using lithography, collagraphy, etching, pressure and relief printing techniques. The artists created layers on the same print in response to each other to result in a finished piece that does not represent a singular artist but of a collective whole.

In 2017, from April 13 to 22, the Taller Experimental de Gráfica de la Habana hosted the PRINTED IN CUBA project. Artists participated in the project are as follows: Alejandro Sainz (Cuba), Aliosky García (Cuba), Andreas Frick (Switzerland), Barry Ebner (USA), Carrie Ann Plank (USA), Franziska Schiratzki (Switzerland), Hanoi Pérez (Cuba), Janette Brossard (Cuba), Lian Ng (USA), Margarit Lehmann (Switzerland), Megan Adie (USA), Norberto Marrero (Cuba), Octavio Irving (Cuba), Patricia Schneider (Switzerland), Sadhyo Niederberger (Switzerland), Susanne Schär & Peter Spillmann (Switzerland), and Yamilys Brito (Cuba).

The Taller provided the artists with assistance from three Master Printers — Ian Marcos, Pedro Redonet, and Guillermo Vantour. A performative introduction was guided by Maikel Rodríguez de la Cruz (Cuba). The results concluded with an exhibition at their onsite gallery, before traveling to Zürich, Basel and San Francisco. The exhibition was accompanied by a video-art project from Mimi von Moos. (Switzerland).

A book documenting the project and artwork is in the works, and you can see the prototype here: