Censorship and the Cuban State: The Double Relationship in the Plastic Arts

As Americans, the first amendment entitles us to freedom of expression. Thus, I assumed that without this right, true expression in the plastic arts could only be stifled. Nevertheless, as I discovered that the art in Cuba was finding ways to express itself though the state suppressed the art, I began to question the relationship between censorship and art. The current Cuban government has enforced various levels of repression on artists since 1959. However, this has led to a double relationship between government and art. On one hand, censorship has had a negative effect, denial of a piece into galleries or artists to be exiled. On the other hand, censorship has led to different forms of expression, whether they are in opposition to the government or not, that would not have been conceived of otherwise. In this essay, I would like to go through the history of censorship and art in Cuba. I will focus on the eighties and nineties since these periods have had different levels of control in the arts and, thus, allow me to discuss my idea of the double relationship more easily. Censorship in the 60s and 70s First, an introduction to the evolution of censorship in the sixties and seventies i