Photographer finds beauty amid decay, making peace with contradictions in search for Cuba's soul
Leba Hertz

Saturday, October 16, 2004

"Cuban Girl Named Bella." Photo by Thea Bellos

Fidel Castro's island nation still evokes strong emotions from both the left and the right.

Berkeley photographer Thea Bellos has captured the heart and soul of Cuba in her new show, "¡Cuba Viva!" at the Berkeley Public Library.

"This exhibit is a visual report of a society laced with contradictions and ironies," Bella writes in her artist's statement. "Seen through the lens of time, decay and beauty, my travels to Cuba provided a glimpse into a society transformed over the past 45 years by revolutionary zeal and the promise of an egalitarian society. ... World opinion has shifted in many quarters with the latest news of Castro's repressive actions, human-rights violations and failed economic initiatives in the post-Soviet era called the Special Period. Fidel Castro and Che Guevara remain mythical icons, and yet many leading intellectuals, who once supported the nation's programs and ideology, are now shifting their views."

"Orange Steps, Blue Wall, Santiago." Photo by Thea Bellos

Bellos has traveled to Cuba many times through the People-to-People program created under the Clinton administration but recently eliminated. The New York native, who has lived in the Bay Area since 1973, also is a professor of international marketing and has worked in the San Francisco Art Commission Neighborhood Arts Program, as curator at the San Jose State Art Department Gallery, and for the Oakland Ballet. She has also successfully battled breast cancer.

For her work on "¡Cuba Viva!," Bellos left the "controlled environment" of Havana and traveled to Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad in order to get "a better glimpse into this rich and ethnically diverse society. ... The passion, warmth, creativity and generosity of the Cuban people can be seen throughout this exhibition.

"Pink Guitar Case in Havana." Photo by Thea Bellos

"Evident, as well, is the grandeur of the island's great colonial cities that were built by European empires and are now undergoing much needed restoration and repair. Music, dance and art are everywhere and the abundance of artists, poets and intellectuals created an aliveness that is often missing in the cities and towns of the U.S."

Many of us have never been to Cuba, but Bellos' show allows us to imagine a nation with a beauty that transcends all politics and gives us an insight into what's right and wrong in the world.

"Ornate Shutters in Havana." Photo by Thea Bellos

"¡Cuba Viva!" runs through Nov. 24. Bella is giving a talk and slide show at 2 p.m. today and at 6 p.m. Monday in the Community Room at the Berkeley Library, 2090 Kittredge St.

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