Spotlight with Nahela Hechavarría Pouymiró
Nahela Hechavarría Pouymiró, Curator at Casa de las Américas, Havana, Cuba
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you got into curating?
As an art historian, it was natural for me to gravitate towards curatorship and art criticism upon graduating. Fortunately, my rapid entry into the field as a researcher and later curator at Casa de las Américas, a cultural center with regional significance, provided me with valuable opportunities for intellectual and practical growth. Casa de las Américas promotes various art forms such as music, literature, theater, and the visual arts, fostering their interconnectedness through diverse media projects. Over the past two decades, my curatorial practice has served as a space for experimentation.
Simultaneously, I have always been fascinated by the tensions between history (as a legacy) and contemporaneity. Casa de las Américas boasts a collection of Latin American and Caribbean art spanning from the 1960s to the present, which has allowed me to explore different pathways in the region's art history. Through curating specific themes involving established artists within the collection and emerging talents, I have had the opportunity to engage with both established and up-and-coming artists who may eventually become part of the collection.
Who/what has influenced your curatorial practice?
I wouldn't attribute my curatorial practice to a specific figure or curatorial trend. Rather, the visits to exhibitions in museums, galleries, and artists' studios during my travels both within and outside my country have significantly enriched my understanding of curatorship as an act of expression or authorship, sometimes without full conscious awareness.
The diversity of theoretical, artistic, and social concerns that have nurtured and shaped my practice through readings and participation in national and international theoretical events has allowed me to perceive curatorship as an accumulation of ideas. According to my experience, this accumulation gradually finds moments of clarity for socialization. I believe that the most influential aspect in my work has been maintaining a keen interest and desire to engage with stories and creative spaces that may not be widely known, but encapsulate themes that deeply motivate me: memory, artistic processes, racial issues, feminism, and eco-sustainable and decolonizing thought.
The role of the curator is continuously changing. Could you describe what it means to be a curator today?
It is true that the role of the curator has changed, not solely due to the available means at their disposal, which, in some ways, can amplify their reach as communicators – becoming just one among the multitude of cultural or other messages to which potential spectators are exposed and towards whom their efforts are directed. As a result, their work must be highly focused and intentional.
In my view, the curator is akin to a sensitive researcher who seeks to “chat” and generate debates at different levels through the artistic experience and the combination of artworks, ideas, or actions. The curator is not merely an art guru, but rather someone tasked with accompanying and enhancing creative processes that may not always result in traditional 'museum pieces,' but in life experiences that are open to repetition and can resonate with diverse audiences.
Tell us about the latest exhibition / project that you curated.
My latest exhibition, Limitless Islands, co-curated with Flavia Valladares, took place last May-June at the Galería Latinoamericana of Casa de las Américas. The exhibition proposed a dialogue among three creators from the Antilles: Nadia Huggins (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), Glenda Salazar, and Ira Kononenko (Cuba). It showcased their unique ways of perceiving the natural environment and their respective national contexts. Additionally, the curatorial presentation included the work of three Caribbean writers as an alternative means of understanding 'the Antilleans' through literature.
Through their artworks, specific projects, and embodied experiences, the exhibition explored forms of environmental activism. Each artist employed diverse strategies of visualization and artistic action, focusing on both nature and society. The collective works and projects aimed to create spaces of resistance and raise awareness about the current and future ecological situation in the Caribbean region.
What are you reading, watching, or listening to now, that is helping you to stay relaxed and positive?
First and foremost, music is a constant presence in my life. My playlist encompasses a wide range of genres, from Cuban music to hip-hop, rock, and jazz in their various forms and originating from diverse locations. I particularly enjoy exploring music scenes in Brazil, the USA, Spain, as well as Africa and Southeast Asia. During the pandemic, I discovered the pleasure of browsing through YouTube and following music channels like NPR Tiny Desk Concerts and ColorxStudios sessions.
Furthermore, music often leads me to the joy of dancing. Dancing has become a safe haven for me, allowing me to relax and maintain a positive mindset.
How long have you been part of IKT and how do you feel that it has benefited your curatorial practice?
I have been a member of IKT since 2017. In addition to the possibility of spreading, even if partially, the work of each one of the members and the networking that every event and association of this kind allows, I believe the real strength of IKT lies in its direct contact with diverse and active artistic scenes, often unexpected. The Norway edition in 2017, with its program that aimed to connect us with various projects and spaces in both the capital and peripheral regions, proved to be highly beneficial. The theme focused on the productions of native cultures as part of the contemporary art discourse, which resonated with the exhibition projects we were cultivating at Casa de las Américas.
In 2019, during the International Art Biennial in Havana, a large group of IKT members visited Casa de las Américas as part of the post-congress activities. I had the opportunity to welcome them and showcase one of the exhibitions I curated, which was included in the Biennial's collateral shows. This experience allowed me to broaden my perspective through the comments and suggestions of several IKT members. Whether as a visitor, host, or participant in virtual engagements during the pandemic, IKT has proven to be an essential space, acting as an echo chamber that fosters growth, connection, and the expression of our personal interests and inquiries.
Thank you Nahela!
Learn more about Nahela Hechavarría Pouymiró: Instagram
Spotlight
Spotlight is a new series of short interviews, aiming to showcase the diverse expertise and innovative approaches of our IKT members. Whether you're seeking inspiration or searching for potential partners, join us on this captivating journey as we uncover the stories, ideas, and creative visions of our members.
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