Cuba has always been quite high on our bucket list of places to visit, as it must be for most photographers. The colours and faded glory of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings in Havana, the vintage American cars – so many photo opportunities. There is something about nostalgia that is very appealing, but one should not forget about the price many Cubans had to pay over the years and the reasons behind the decay and neglect.
With recent changes in politics, things have already started changing on Castro’s island and this exhibition is all about capturing the present before it will be transformed forever.
LUMAS Gallery in Mayfair recently held a private view for their exhibition of limited edition photographs -‘Viva Cuba!’- which featured works by photographers Werner Pawlok, Luigi Visconti and Larry Just.
Renowned Stuttgart-based photographer Werner Pawlok has been fascinated by Cuba since 2004 and his series ‘Cuba – expired’ provided LUMAS with some of their bestselling images. He returned in 2015 to capture the changes in Havana and take photos exclusively for the LUMAS portfolio.
Werner Pawlok says: “I try to find locations that are not so easily accessible. I want to uncover things, and chance plays a large role in that.”
Lucas Visconti’s images concentrate on the architecture and to do that he removes perspective and signs of everyday life. This shows off the extraordinary facades in a new light.
Larry Yust has got a completely different angle, literally. As a former film-maker he uses a process called Photographic Elevation, walking or driving along a path parallel to the subject taking overlapping shots, which he joins up digitally from between five and fifty images.
The Cuban theme was carried right through the evening with food and drink sponsored by Havana Club, Cubana and Asia de Cuba. We had punchy rum cocktails and delicious finger food like prawn churros, ceviche and much more.
London-Olios 