The Cuban Artist: “Pillars of the Country’s Cultural Prestige”

Cuban art has been as segregated as its country. Without access to the internet to promote their work, Cuban artists have had to rely on those lucky enough to travel to greet them in their home studios and galleries. Art is one of the few items Americans can legally buy in Cuba and thus it has been a coveted memento for the Cuban traveler.

On Cross Cultural Journey’s trips, we rarely miss a chance to visit the home studio of Cuban artist Kadir López, who now, featured in this recent New York Times article, is sitting in front of the world spotlight. We are honored to visit señor López on our Cuba trips and introduce our travelers to this cultural icon.

But time is ticking in the art community. “If 500 collectors turn up all of a sudden, quality will go down,” said Roberto Diago, 43, whose artworks explore the issue of slavery and race in Cuba. Many believe with all the changes about to begin, the best way to travel to this alluring country is quickly, before the country is overrun by tourism.

Travel restrictions are still in place. With President Obama’s announcement to loosen up the embargo, Americans will still need to travel on a legal license. Cross Cultural Journeys holds a people to people license issued by the US government and has trips to meet señor López as well as many other prominent cultural figures.