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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2001
Cuban-American perspectives
This is the Special Period, Cuba's official term for the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, when the island nation can no longer depend on the Communist leader for resources. Last spring Cuba's avant-garde artists presented subjective expressions in a show at USF's Contemporary Art Museum. Now we see an objective view, through the documentary photographs of Cuban-born artist Randy Batista of Gainesville, now at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art.
Batista, who immigrated from Cuba in 1961, returned there most recently in 1999, when he captured the images on display, including this untitled work of a man from a barred window. It reveals dignity in spite of deprivation. The show, titled "Randy Batista: American Eyes -- Cuban Heart," runs through Nov. 11. Also on view is Cuban-American Maria Castagliola's homage to the poet Lorca. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The museum is at Pinewood Cultural Park, 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo. Adult admission is $5; free on Thursdays. (727) 518-6833.