Havana to Become Epicenter of International Graphic Humor

Cuban capital Havana will host the 2nd International Political Humor Biennial from June 9 to 14, bringing together artists from 38 countries to reflect on cultural colonization through satire and caricature.

This was announced at a press conference by Tania Cardó, president of the National Council of Visual Arts; Yahima Rodríguez, chief curator of the Biennial; and cartoonist and jury president Adán Iglesias.

According to the organizers, 359 works by 118 creators from five continents were submitted to this edition, who will also address the impact of globalization and hegemonic industries.

Havana will become the epicenter of international graphic humor, said Yahima Rodríguez, who highlighted the exponential growth in participation compared to the first edition in 2024.

Following a rigorous selection process, 61 pieces from 24 countries will make up the central exhibition, which will have as its main venue the 23 y 12 Gallery in the Havana neighborhood of El Vedado.

The event, conceived as a trench for cultural decolonization, poses three fundamental challenges: generating emancipatory narratives that distance communities from colonial schemes; breaking with superficial codes in artistic creation; and ensuring that these processes are attractive and fulfill their communicative function.

In addition to Adán Iglesias, who serves as director of Dedete magazine, the selection jury includes Mexican Víctor Vélez "Chubasco," Belgian Luc Descheemaeker, winner of the first biennial in 2024.

They are joined by American Liza Donnelly, a contributor to The New Yorker, and Cuban Ismael Lema, director of the publishing house Palante.

The program will include seven collective and individual exhibitions, theoretical sessions, a caricature festival, workshops for children and young people, and community activities.

Standout events include the solo exhibition of Pedro Méndez, 2018 National Humor Award winner, on the occasion of his 80th birthday; the collective exhibition "Four Countries, Four Visions," which will bring together the jury members themselves; and the awards ceremony for the collective exhibition.

Venues will also include the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, the Union of Journalists of Cuba, the Cuba Pavilion, the José Antonio Díaz Peláez Experimental Center for Visual Arts, the Humor Museum in San Antonio de los Baños, and the Arte y Espacio Gallery of Revolución y Cultura magazine.

With this second edition, Havana consolidates its position as a meeting point for satirical critique from the Global South, in a context where neoliberal globalization, the organizing committee warns, privileges colonialist perspectives and patriarchal and imperial narratives instead of promoting emancipatory paradigms.