The 13th Havana Biennial, 2019
The conceptual platform for the 13th Havana Biennial, under the theme “The Construction of the Possible”, proposed to be a stage for the exchange of ideas that would prioritize the necessity for balance between society, culture and nature. For the first time ever, The Havana Biennial also took place in other Cuban cities, including Matanzas, where Intermittent Rivers took place. As an invited artist to the 13th Havana Biennial, María Magdalena Campos-Pons took the opportunity to initiate a project that would revitalize the artistic community of Matanzas. As a native of Matanzas, she has a deep understanding of the rich cultural legacy of Matanzas and is conscious of how memory, trauma, and erasure can be resolved through transformative gestures. As Artistic Director of Intermittent Rivers, Campos-Pons appointed Octavio Zaya, Salah M. Hassan, and Selene Wendt as her curatorial team. Through this project we sought to revitalize the city through multiple exhibitions and artistic interventions that helped renew a sense of cultural pride within the community. In the selection of participating local and international artists, we placed emphasis on social actions that would have a long-term impact on the city of Matanzas. The goal was to revitalize the local art scene and to foster urban renewal through an extensive exhibition platform where local and international artists would converge. Intermittent Rivers featured over 50 local and international artists, including Ambreen Butt, Ingrid Calame, Collectivo Araigo, Iftikhar Dadi, Marilá Dardot, Manthia Diawara, Augustin Drake, Ediciones Vigia, Melvin Edwards, Guillermo Gallindo, Josephine Halvorson, Julie Mehretu, Ernesto Millan, Olu Oguibe, Ramon Pacheco, Claudia Padrón, Adriana Riera Pérez, Dawit L. Petros, Salomon, Jamaal Sheats, Tracey Snelling, Ana M. Velasco, Carrie Mae Weems, and Cosmo Whyte, among many others. Voted by Hyperallergic as one of the top 15 best exhibitions worldwide in 2019.