APRIL 26 @ 7:00 PM: Rumba pa’ los Rumberos: A Photographic Journey
Directed by:
Juan Caballero
Genre / Type of Show:
Interactive Exposition
Language:
Bilingual (Spanish/English)
Duration:
03:00:00
Audience type:
General audience
Artists/Features
Juan Caballero – Curator/Photographer
Carlos Mateu – Performer/Dance Instructor
Roman Diaz – Musician
Roger Consiglio – Musician
Maximo Izquierdo – Musician
Clemente Medina – Musician
Rafael Monteagudo
Synopsis:
This interactive exhibition is part of a long term documentary project by photographer Juan Caballero, produced in partnership with diverse exponents of the Cuban Rumba tradition. Caballero began this photographic journey in Havana in 1997, followed time in New York and Miami throughout the 2000s. The images represented in this show archive the faces of ‘la rumba’s’ musical manifestation in the United States, a scene which continues to acquire new sounds and new faces outside of Cuba. These urban percussive spaces serve as a platforms for people from varying cultural/ethnic backgrounds to come together via an affirmation of life and roots. The exhibition’s opening reception will include live music by the Roman Diaz Ensemble, decima recitation and rumba dance class with Carlos Mateu and a guided tour by the curator. Join us for this experiential event and immerse yourself in one of NYC’s fastest rowing musical subcultures.
Regarding the director or directors:
Juan Caballero Cabrera was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1994 he took his first steps into the world photography on a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Soon after Caballero began studying with the Association of Photographers of Buenos Aires, and later worked as a photographer for the “Argentina Foundation to Aid Immigrants.” With this group he covered the First National party for refugees in Argentina and his photos were published in their magazine. It was in Argentina working with refugees from around the world that he first realized the powerful impact a photo has, effectively documenting a country’s social and political realities. In 1997 he returned to Cuba to study at the International Institute of Journalist José Martí. In 2000 Caballero immigrated to the United States landing in New York City. It was here that he discovered the intricacies of Cuban Rumba performance abroad and began documenting various waves of Cuban immigration to the United States. His work as a documentary photographer spans more than three decades and has been featured in such publications as the Boston Globe, Oxfam America, El Estornudo, El Diario de Cuba and many others.